Ms. C. Suzanne Mencer is the Director of the Colorado Emergency Preparedness Partnership. The Colorado Emergency Preparedness Partnership (CEPP) is a broad coalition of Colorado leaders that is building a voluntary partnership between the public, private and non-profit sectors. CEPP has already enlisted a number of Colorado’s civic leaders and organizations, representing government, business, the philanthropic community, academia, and the US Northern Command. The mission of CEPP is to strengthen the region’s collective capacity to prevent, respond to and recover from natural and human-caused disasters through effective public-private collaboration.

Ms. Mencer is also the President of Manor Ridge Group, Inc., a company that provides subject matter expertise on public safety and homeland security issues.

Ms. Mencer was a Senior Policy Director at the law firm of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, assisting clients navigate the complex entity of the Department of Homeland Security.

Prior to joining Brownstein’s Government Relations Practice, Ms. Mencer was the Director of the Office for Domestic Preparedness in the Department of Homeland Security. Appointed by President Bush and confirmed by the United States Senate, she managed a $4 billion budget and directed federal initiatives to help states, local jurisdictions, regional authorities and tribal governments plan, prepare, prevent and respond to acts of terrorism.

Additionally, Ms. Mencer served as the Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Public Safety, overseeing the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the Colorado State Patrol, the Division of Criminal Justice and the Office Preparedness Security and Fire Safety. She also served as the Governor’s Homeland Security Advisor and served on the Governor’s Columbine Review Commission, reviewing law enforcement’s response to Columbine High School.

Ms. Mencer is a 20 year veteran of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, having worked and supervised investigations in Foreign Counterintelligence and Counterterrorism. She initiated the Denver Joint Terrorism Task Force and supervised several high profile domestic terrorism cases.