Gary P. (Pat) Fontaine
Director for Consequence Management/Business Continuity (CM/BC) Planning
Department of Navy

Biography

Over Twenty-seven years of Program Management, logistics, and continuity planning experience both as a Marine Corps Officer, Program Director reporting to the Department of the Navy Critical Infrastructure Assurance Officer’s (DON CIAO) Special Assistant for Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP), and most recently as the Principal Advisor to the Principal Deputy Chief Information Officer in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD).

Mr. Fontaine’s knowledge and use of project management planning and qualitative and quantitative analytical methods, tools, and techniques add value to the planning and assessment of project progress and effectiveness.

He has proven experience in overseeing programs, projects, and systems development efforts from the identification of new requirements through coordination and approval as projects, and subsequent funding, implementation, and sustainment. These projects include the development of an integrated COOP Plan for DON CIO and SECDEF Communications, the relocation of SECDEF Communications to their swing space in support of the Pentagon renovation, and the on-going SECDEF Communications Transformation initiative to field a complete suite of integrated deployable communication systems in support of the Secretary of Defense. In addition, he developed and institutionalized a disciplined approach to program management, operations planning, and staff actions.

Extensive logistics experience ensures that resources are planned for, acquired, and managed to achieve OSD strategic goals and objectives.

Business Process Reengineer knowledge enables him to identify and implement requirements for integrated systems for supported functional areas that improve business methods, measures, processes, and information flows.

As the Director for Consequence Management/Business Continuity (CM/BC) Planning, he developed the vision, concept, and assessment protocol for CM/BC planning used by the DON. In doing so, he led a team of subject matter experts to identify DON CM/BC requirements, benchmark them with private industry, draft governing policy for all-hazards DON CM/BC planning, and produce the First and Second Edition CM/BC Planning Guides for use throughout the Navy and Marine Corps.

To date, he and his team of subject matter experts have assessed over 175 CM/BC plans of Navy and Marine Corps installations, state and local Governments, and private sector activities across the US and in seven countries. These assessments not only identify gaps and weaknesses in existing plans that may lead to disruption of critical functions, they more importantly provide recommendations to strengthen plans by ensuring the plans focus on the entity’s Mission Essential Functions and that all key elements participate in a three dimensional planning process to insure planned actions are fully integrated across function, time, and ownership.

Mr. Fontaine prepares major reports and gives oral briefings to the leadership of the US Navy, Marine Corps, and DON on CM Assessment findings, including the DON Critical Infrastructure Protection Council, chaired by the Under Secretary of the Navy.

An accomplished speaker, Mr. Fontaine has delivered several Business Continuity presentations ranging from formal DON-level conferences to informal professional groups, has lectured at the National Defense University, and has presented CM/BC planning issues at the National level as an advisor to the American National Standards Institute Homeland Security Standards Panel Working Group on Private Sector Emergency Preparedness and Business Continuity for development of national standards for BC planning (NFPA 1600). He presented a CM/BC discussion at the June 2005 NFPA World Safety Conference and Exposition.

Mr. Fontaine and his team have published the First and Second Edition CM/BC Planning Guides for use throughout the Navy and Marine Corps, and have recently completed a private sector version.

Additionally, he provides technical, financial planning and execution, and program management support to activities in developing CM/BC plans to mitigate vulnerabilities.

Mr. Fontaine possesses an active TS/SCI security clearance with Full-Scope Polygraph.

Education and Certificates
M.S., Logistics Management, Florida Institute of Technology, 2002
B.S., International Security Affairs, United States Naval Academy, 1979
DOD Certified Business Process Reengineer
Certified Business Continuity Planner (application for recertification pending)

Membership
Disaster Recovery Institute, International