Contingency Planning Exchange (CPE) strives to provide its members with ideas and resources to continually enhance business continuity, disaster recovery and crisis/emergency management strategies and tools through its educational programs and the sharing of ideas and best practices across all industry classifications.

Founded in 1985, CPE is dedicated to keeping its members on the cutting edge of information and trends related to keeping business, industry and government running during and after an emergency. This is achieved through educational programs and by encouraging relationships with peers across the private and public sectors.

CPE Chapters

CPE is a growing organization, encompassing a membership base from a variety of industries and widening disciplines associated with contingency planning and crisis management. To meet these demands for knowledge, education and networking, the CPE has reached out to areas beyond our immediate region and developed new chapters in Long Island, Washington DC, and the Lower Hudson Valley. Our new chapters are carefully selected to add dimension not only to our core membership but to meet the objectives and mission of the organization.

Executive Board

The Board of the Contingency Planning Exchange (CPE) is a board of volunteers who devote their time and energy to building the success of the organization and maintaining its mission.

Barbuto, Vincent - Executive Board, Membership

Bonagura, Arthur - Executive Board, Programs

Certoma, James - Executive Board, Finance and Compliance

Iradi, Dan - Lower Hudson Valley Chapter Chair

Ostler, Michele - Executive Director and Association Management Firm

Petti, Ralph - Executive Board, Vice Chair

Sciarrino, Lisa - Executive Board, Chair

Sinski, Terri - Long Island Chapter Chair

Tellone, Gregory - Executive Board, Communications and Social Media

Verdino, Zachary - Executive Board, Vendor Relations and Advertising

Vevon, Jerry - Washington DC Chapter Chair

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James Certoma Executive Board, Finance and Compliance Company:  Bloomberg L.P. Address:  731 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022 Phone:  212-617-2836 Email:   This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Personal Bio or Company Description:
James Certoma is a Certified Business Continuity Planner and has been a member of the CPE Board of Directors since 1989. He is the current Executive Chair of Finance and Compliance and has previously held the positions of Chairperson, Public Relations Coordinator, Treasurer and Vice Chair of Marketing and Communications. Mr. Certoma has over 18 years of business continuity planning experience at several major financial corporations in New York. He is currently the Global Director of Business Continuity for Bloomberg L.P. Previous professional positions include; Business Continuity Manager at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Crisis Management and Business Continuity Consulting Practice Leader for Kroll, Global Manager of Business Continuity Planning for Goldman Sachs and Co., and business continuity management positions at AllianceBernstein, JPMorgan Chase, and US Trust. Within the business continuity professional community, Mr. Certoma has participated in the New York State Joint Loss Partnership Committee, chaired the New York Clearing House Business Continuity Committee, and functioned as a liaison between the CPE and New York Office of Emergency Management.

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Dan Iradi Lower Hudson Valley Chapter Chair Address:  41 Stimis Lane, East Hanover, NJ 07936 Email:   This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Personal Bio or Company Description:
Dan Iradi has served as an American Red Cross Disaster Services Chapter Director since 2005 both in NJ and NY State. As a national disaster responder, Dan worked during the response and recovery phases of Hurricanes Ivan, Katrina, Wilma and Ike and the 2007 Nor'easter in New Jersey. He has conducted numerous workshops on personal, family and business preparedness and is a national advanced instructor on disaster relief strategies and tactics. His expertise in exercise design, control and evaluation, as well as facilitation, has allowed him to travel nationally providing training to strengthen disaster response readiness. Dan received his Juris Doctorate degree from the Catholic University Columbus School of Law in Washington, DC in 1996.

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Michele Ostler Executive Director and Association Management Firm President & Event Planner Company:  Penta Dynamic Solutions Address:  11 Hanover Square, Suite 501, New York, NY 10005 Phone:  212-344-2080 Fax:  212-344-2016 Email:   This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Website:http://www.pentaevents.com
Personal Bio or Company Description:
Michele Verdino Ostler is responsible for managing the daily operations of the Contingency Planning exchange and plays an integral role in building an environment in which the organization can achieve its goals and be the recognized association leader in this industry. Michele is also responsible for planning CPE regular scheduled meetings and special events. As Founder and President of Penta Dynamic Solutions, Michele Verdino Ostler is involved in the day-to-day operations of the company and is an integral part of the event planning team. After several years as an in-house event planner and human resources professional at Goldman, Sachs & Co., Michele launched Penta Dynamic Solutions in 2001. Her skills range from venue selection and contract negotiation, to event design and production, to on-site management. Michele has a wealth of experience in corporate conferences, product launches, brand awareness and mobile marketing tours, media events, social events of all types, and more. Her experience across multiple disciplines and her dedication to the industry and community give Michele a broad perspective that complements Penta's unique development. A native New Yorker, Michele holds a BA and an MA in Psychology from Marist College. Penta Dynamic Solutions is a woman-owned boutique event management firm. Our ability to think "outside the box" has enabled us to expertly manage every aspect of an event from inception to completion. Whether it is a corporate function, conference, experiential marketing, gala, golf outing, holiday party, incentive and team building activity, or any other event need, you can count on Penta to provide you with excellence and professionalism sub par to none!

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Ralph Petti Executive Board, Vice Chair President Company:  RP Risk Advisors, LLC Address:  5 Lyons Mall, Suite 322, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920 Email:   This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Website:www.RPRiskAdvisors.com
Personal Bio or Company Description:
Ralph Petti, CBCP, MBCI has been a member of the Contingency Planning Exchange (CPE) for twenty-two years and is serving a two-year tern as the Executive Chair, Operations for all CPE Chapters. In previous roles on the Executive Board for the CPE, he was the Director of Marketing and also the Director of Membership and Vendor Liaison. A member of the business continuity and risk management industry for over twenty-five years, he is a certified disaster recovery practitioner and President of RP Risk Advisors, a national business continuity management consulting firm focused on the convergence of disaster recovery, business contnuity, risk management, personal recovery planning and biometric encryption security for companies of all sizes. In a volunteer role as the Chairperson of the "Continuity Cares" program, a Continuity Insights sponsored event, Mr. Petti is currently involved in certain activities focusing on the redevelopment of a post-Katrina New Orleans and other cities. Mr. Petti recently had also served as an Executive Board Member of the Association of Contingency Planners (ACP) for their Connecticut and Pennsylvania chapters and currently serves on the Executive Board of the Mid-Atlantic Disaster Recovery Association (MADRA). In 2006 and 2007, Mr. Petti received the ACP "Most Valuable Player Award" for his leadership with the Hartford, CT and Philadelphia, PA chapters, respectively. The honor is awarded to commend a distinction in promoting the practice of Business Continuity and Risk Management planning. In 2006, Mr. Petti was also recognized with an ASIS "Certificate of Appreciation" for assimilating Security practices into business continuity as his consulting solutions traditionally focus on a "convergence" of disparate business focuses. Mr. Petti is a Certified Business Continuity Planner (CBCP) having earned that distinction with DRI, International and is a Member of the Business Continuity Institute (MBCI) in London. As an industry veteran who has been involved in all phases of risk management serving in key management roles at Comdisco, EMC, Veritas, SunGard and Iron Mountain, he is currently serving as a leadership team member and speaker for major business continuity, risk management and security-focused industry groups nationally. He is also VOAD Certified (Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster) by The American Red Cross and is NIMS (National Incident Management System) certified. A member of the disaster recovery industry since 1984, he has seen the transition of this industry go from mainframe systems backup and end-user backup through to today's comprehensive real-time business resiliency service programs for complex, distributed global architectures. Mr. Petti was also a participant in the recovery of his clients from the Loma Preita earthquake in Northern California in 1989, the lower Manhattan transformer fire ("Black Friday") of 1990, the Chicago subway tunnel flood of 1992, countless hurricanes including Hurricane Hugo, Hurricane Floyd and Hurricane Andrew, several major northeastern US blackout and terrorist events to the 1993 and 2001 World Trade Center tragedies. On the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Mr. Petti received several citations from Louisiana officials for his efforts in supporting the people and businesses of the Gulf Region after the tragedy of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Mr. Petti will continue his role in the Gulf Region with the "Continuity Cares" program. He had also been invited to Washington, DC to lend his perspective to support a reconstruction of levees. In 2006, he met with Senator Mary Landreau (D-LA), Senator Trent Lott (R-MS), Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and U.S. Representative Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ-11). He also received a "Letter of Commendation" from Sen.Landrieu in June, 2009. As an active member of the New England Disaster Recovery Information Exchange Group (NEDRIX), InfraGard and The American Society of Industrial Security (ASIS), Mr. Petti was also published The Washington Post and The Philadelphia Business Journal in 2007. He has also been featured in The New York Law Journal, Disaster Recovery Journal, Computerworld and other publications. In addition, he was also a guest on WWDB-AM radio in Philadelphia in 2007 and has presented or assisted at DHS, CI, CPM, ACP, CPE, DRJ, ASIS, ISSA, US State Department and local and statewide Chamber of Commerce events in NY, NJ, LA, MS and other states. Mr. Petti holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with dual concentrations in Business and Political Science from Rutgers College and has also completed graduate course-work at Syracuse and NYU. In 2005, he was named by NJ Countryside Magazine as "One of Six New Jerseyans We're Proud To Know" for his efforts as Chairperson with The American Cancer Society's "Relay For Life" event – raising almost $1MM locally. Ralph Petti can be reached at (908) 310-6381 or via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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Lisa Sciarrino Executive Board, Chair Managing Director Company:  UniCredit Group, NY Branch Address:  150 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017 Phone:  212-672-5615 Fax:  212-672-6231 Email:   This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Personal Bio or Company Description:
As Managing Director and Head of the Facilities and Infrastructure Group, Lisa J. Sciarrino is an integral part of the leadership at UniCredit Group, NY Branch. She manages the company's Business Resumption and Disaster Recovery planning program including the management of a vendor-provided recovery site. In this capacity she is responsible for the development, management and maintenance of the bank-wide Business Resumption Plan including the Business Impact Analysis, the Business Resumption Handbook, employee emergency contact programs, the disaster recovery testing program, and the development of departmental Business Resumption Plans. She also manages the Bank's physical facilities, insurance program and corporate policies and procedures including the New Product Approval Process. Prior to being named Managing Director, Lisa served as an Accounting Services Controller for HVB Group New York (now UniCredit Group). In that role, she supervised the accounting and reporting functions. Lisa also managed the company's Year 2000 project office and developed a compliance plan to ensure the bank's preparedness for the century date change. Lisa is a Certified Public Accountant and is a Board member of the Contingency Planning Exchange. She also holds memberships with the American Institute of CPAs and the New York State Society of CPAs. Lisa earned a Masters of Business Administration from Fordham University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the State University of New York at Albany.

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Gregory Tellone Executive Board, Communications and Social Media Company:  American Business Continuity Centers, LLC Address:  1000 Woodbury Road, Suite 106, Woodbury, NY 11797 Phone:  516-622-0200 Fax:  516-622-0202 Email:   This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Personal Bio or Company Description:
Gregory R. Tellone, Founder and President of GTel Networks, is a well-known technology consultant, business owner, and speaker in the greater New York area whose illustrious career spans over twenty years in the technology field. He is the Chief Operating Officer of American Business Continuity Centers (CC) and was recently named Chairman of the Board for the Long Island Chapter of the Contingency Planning Exchange (CPE). Founded in 1999, GTel Networks is a very different technology consulting firm that provides business solutions and peace-of-mind to select firms. While working at McKinsey & Company in both business management and enterprise IT systems, Mr. Tellone became committed to creating a technology firm that provides its clients with a trusted team of advisors who deliver enterprise value. Through a marriage of business and technology and by building strong client relationships, GTel Networks provides effective solutions that address each client's specific goals and needs. The talents of Mr. Tellone were first recognized by CC partners after the firm retained the services of GTel Networks in 2003. The partners then moved to bring Mr. Tellone in as COO and partner in April 2005. As COO and co-owner of Continuity Centers, Mr. Tellone oversees business continuity design and implementation, manages operations of the hot sites, and ensures client satisfaction. The partnership has enabled CC to provide clients with technology-based disaster recovery and business continuity services by utilizing the expertise of professionals at GTel Networks. This alliance has aided CC in becoming the leading disaster recovery and business continuity firm in the area. As Chair for the Long Island Chapter of the CPE, Mr. Tellone works in concert with the Board to increase membership and bring enhanced value to CPE members. Established in 1985, CPE is a professional association dedicated to providing an open exchange of information related to business continuity, crisis and emergency management. CPE is regarded as one of the most successful organizations of its kind. Mr. Tellone has been recognized in Long Island Business News and frequently speaks at technology and business continuity events. He supports several not-for-profit organizations and was a featured boxer in the 2004 Long Island Fight for Charity. An avid outdoorsman and environmentalist, Greg lives in Commack with his wife Carolyn and son Tristan Gregory.

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Zachary Verdino Executive Board, Vendor Relations and Advertising President Company:  Penta Associates, Ltd. Address:  11 Hanover Square, Suite 501, New York, NY 10005 Phone:  212-344-2010 Fax:  212-344-2016 Email:   This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Personal Bio or Company Description:
Zack is the President of Penta Associates. Zack has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry. Prior to forming Penta Associates in 1991, Zack was a Director of Operations for Goldman, Sachs & Co., with responsibilities for Global Foreign Exchange, Futures, Options, J Aron Fixed Income, Equities, and Global Operations Control. Zack also served as the firm's representative on the New York Stock Exchange Advisory Committee, which addressed industry issues including business continuity and emergency response. In addition to his role in Penta Associates, Verdino is a partner in Wall Street Job Exchange, LLC, which operates a niche job board dedicated to the financial services industry. Zack is the current Vice Chair for Operations of the Contingency Planning Exchange, Inc., a professional association devoted to advancing the practice of business continuity. The CPE hosts regular programs in Manhattan, and through its satellites in Washington, DC and Long Island. Zack also serves on the SIFMA (Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association) Business Continuity Committee as CO-chair of the Critical Infrastructure sub-committee.

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Jerry Vevon Washington DC Chapter Chair Senior Associate Company:  Booz Allen Hamilton Address:  One Dulles, 13200 Woodland Park Road, Room 7118, Herndon, VA 20171 Phone:  703-984-3342 Email:   This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Personal Bio or Company Description:
Currently a Vice President at Booz Allen Hamilton, Mr. Vevon has over 30 years of operational experience and over a decade directly supporting continuity of operations and business recovery planning. His primary clients include the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and the Department of State. He has considerable experience within the Intelligence Community, DoD, Joint Staff and Congress. Mr. Vevon leads Booz Allen's Mission Assurance practice with over 350 geographically dispersed staff supporting numerous Federal Agencies and Intelligence Community clients with Business Continuity Planning, Critical Infrastructure Protection, Risk Management, Antiterrorism/Force Protection and Disaster Preparedness Exercises. Prior to joining Booz Allen, Jerry served on active duty in the US Army as a Ranger-qualified master parachutist. As Assistant Chief of Staff, Intelligence, 101st Airborne Division, Jerry was responsible for coordination of all intelligence, counterintelligence, and security requirements for an organization of over 18,000 personnel. As Commander, 165th Military Intelligence Battalion, Mr. Vevon led over 550 personnel in conducting long-range surveillance, counterintelligence, interrogation, and electronic warfare. The unit was one of the first to deploy to Bosnia in the initial Implementation Force (IFOR) and was recognized with multiple unit awards for its performance. He also served 9 years in the 82nd Airborne Division in various roles. Mr. Vevon also published a biography of LTG Eichelberger, former Army DCSINT, for which he was awarded the 1998 Military History Writing Award from the US Army Way College. He has received the Military Intelligence Knowlton Award and is a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He received a BS in Economics from Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC and a MA from the University of South Carolina in International Studies. Jerry is also a graduate of the US Army War College in Carlisle, PA and is a Certified Business Continuity Professional by Disaster Recovery Institute International and a Certified Information Technology Manager from University of Virginia. Outside of his work with Booz Allen, Mr. Vevon functions as a member of the Charleston, SC Chamber of Commerce Business Continuity Council where he assists as a speaker and facilitator aiding small businesses who cannot afford a full-time continuity program by providing them the basics for implementing a feasible program. Additionally, Mr. Vevon has the honor of supporting the Darkness to Light charity which works to prevent childhood sexual abuse and supports the Honor Flight which provides WWII veterans, at no cost to them, an opportunity to travel to Washington, DC to see the WWII Memorial.