Dale Lehman, Pennsylvannia
For more than 40 years, Dale Lehman dedicated himself to floodplain management and flood risk reduction— providing support on more than 400 major disasters and thousands of mitigation and recovery projects throughout the nation. Using his extensive experience in flood hazard analysis, flood risk assessment, mitigation, and flood policy risk management, Dale has provided guidance and support to state and local governments, federal agencies, and international flood resilience initiatives.
Some of his key accomplishments include: helping to revise FEMA’s wave height and storm surge analysis methodology, developing guidelines for density floodways, and policy and program support for FEMA’s expansion of the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) following the 1993 Midwest floods and for the implementation of the pre-disaster mitigation grant and pre-disaster mitigation planning programs from the DMA 2000. In addition, Lehman delivered Congressional testimony on multiple occasions; and advised congressional committees on flood insurance reauthorization, resilience, and hazard mitigation, and gave input into the Federal Flood Risk Management Executive Order.
His longstanding commitment to ASFPM includes serving as a board member, POD facilitator, and ASFPM Foundation trustee and executive committee member. In 2021, Lehman won the Goddard-White Award, named in honor of the contributions made to floodplain management by Gilbert White (1911- 2006) and Jim Goddard (1906-1994). This is ASFPM’s highest award and is given to those individuals who made a national impact carrying forward the goals and objectives of floodplain management.
A summary of Lehman’s key activities and accomplishments at ASFPM:
- Served on the board of directors from 2000-2006. As a POD facilitator and member of AdCo, he represented ASFPM at conferences and meetings, such as an eastern United States Land Development Conference in 2005 to present NAI concepts planning and development decisions, and an initial meeting of the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) to promote consideration of natural hazard threats to infrastructure, not just terrorist threats.
- Instrumental part of long-range budget and financial planning from 1980’s on.
- Helped organize the POD facilitator role for committees and served in the inaugural group of POD facilitators in 2007. As POD facilitator, worked with International, Professional Development, and Risk Communications and Outreach committees. Assisted in mitigation issues with ASFPM, including policy papers on benefit-cost analysis and discount rate issues.
- Assisted in developing the requirements for the executive office first project manager, and helped hire Mark Riebau in 2002—that role evolved into the Flood Science Center. Also helped develop director of operations position. Served as a member of selection committee for this position that hired Ingrid Wadsworth in 2011 as the association’s first director of operations. Also served on the selection committee that hired George Riedel, who served in the role of Deputy Executive Director 2005-2012.
- Helped develop the transition process for selecting the replacement for the Founding ASFPM Executive Director, Larry Larson. Briefed members and board on best approaches for foundational transition and served on the selection panel for the new Executive Director, Chad Berginnis, in 2011.
- Served on NAI workgroup and NAI toolkit workgroup from 2000 through 2009.
- ASFPM Foundation Board of Trustees member for more than 20 years, including serving as Fundraising Committee Chair, Vice President, and President. While Fundraising Chair, pushed Foundation donations over the $1 million threshold.
- Serves on ASFPM Foundation Leadership Scholarship Selection Committee
- Served on ASFPM Governance Independent Task Force; making recommendation to Board of Directors on how ASFPM should be governed.