IBHS News Releases

Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) experts are available for comment throughout your hurricane coverage.  IBHS can assist with stories related to storm preparation, disaster-resistant construction, building codes and recovery information for both home and business owners.

Below are IBHS representatives who are available for comment.  To schedule interviews, please contact Wendy Fontaine, wfontaine@ibhs.org (phone information above) or Kevin Barber, VP of Communications, (813) 675-1043, (813) 486-8364, kbarber@ibhs.org.

Harvey G. Ryland, President & CEO, has been in the field of emergency management for over thirty years and was previously Deputy Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Doug Raucy, Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, has more than 20 years of experience in the property/casualty field of insurance, including building a national insurance catastrophe claim team. 

Dr. Tim Reinhold, Vice President of Engineering, is an internationally recognized wind engineer who uses real hurricanes to research ground level winds and their behavior on structures.  He was previously a professor of civil engineering at Clemson University. 

Diana McClure, Director of Public Safety Strategies, works closely with the business community to promote pre-and post-disaster planning.  She is also responsible for Showcase States and land use planning issues.

Jeff Burton, Building Code Manager, was previously a planning manager with the City of Bradenton, FL, involved in building code enforcement and inspections.  He was also a contractor, building commercial and residential structures.

About IBHS: The Institute for Business & Home Safety is a national nonprofit research, engineering and communications organization funded by property/casualty insurers.  Based in Tampa, FL, IBHS works to reduce residential and commercial property losses and associated costs (social and economic) caused by extreme weather events.

The IBHS web site will be updated regularly regarding our Hurricane Frances activities.