Meet the Public-Private Partnership Officer

James "Jim" Williams, MBA, LEM-P, Public-Private Partnership Officer

Mr. Williams leads the state's public-private partnership program, the Louisiana Business Emergency Operations Center, which supports businesses before, during, and after a disaster.

The LABEOC program is a partnership between the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, Louisiana Economic Development, and the NIMSAT Institute at UL Lafayette.

Williams brings strategic expertise and real-world experience from his extensive military career to contribute to the team delivering “Research for a Reason” in sectors such as homeland security and emergency preparedness, cybersecurity and critical infrastructure, supply chain risk and vulnerability assessments, healthcare and data science, and community education. He participates in the Louisiana Cybersecurity Commission to advise the private sector on cyber incident preparedness, response, and recovery.

Williams is a retired Lieutenant Colonel with 27 years of military service with the Active Army and the Louisiana Army National Guard. He served two deployments to Iraq and led and participated in numerous all-hazards responses in Louisiana, including hurricanes, ice storms, and flooding.

He graduated from the University of Southwestern Louisiana with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology and a Master of Business Administration from Louisiana State University, Shreveport.

Jim Williams joined the State Incident Management Assistance Teams (IMAT) in 2024.

He is now certified by the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to be a part of the next generation of rapidly deployable emergency response teams called Incident Management Assistance Teams (IMATs).

According to FEMA, IMATs are full-time, rapid-response teams with dedicated staff able to deploy within two hours and arrive at an incident within 12 hours to support the local incident commander.

As a Liaison Officer Member, he and the team will be dispatched within 2 hours and arrive at the incident within 12 hours. During emergencies, they will travel to various areas of the state to relieve the incident commander and team. They will also provide situational awareness for federal and state decision-makers.

The teams fully comply with the National Incident Management System and the Incident Command System and train and exercise as a unit. When not deployed, the teams build relationships with the public and private sectors through planning, training, and education.

The Louisiana Business Emergency Operations Center supports the business community during disasters. The Center assists Louisiana businesses and non-profit organizations in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery to ensure community stability, resilience, and economic revitalization. For more information, please visit LABEOC.ORG and join our network today.