SAS Team

CNA Safety & Security Team

CNA Safety & Security assisted government agencies in responding to the attacks of September 11, 2001, with researchers and operations analysts supporting response to the terrorist attacks and the incidents of anthrax contamination that followed. Today, we work at every level of homeland security.

The Safety and Security team has, and continues to build, a knowledge base that is critical to developing effective prevention, mitigation, response, and recovery capabilities. The team combines practical experience with a strong record of academic achievement. Team members have held senior management positions in homeland security agencies at federal, state, and local levels. They also have extensive experience in the design of exercises and games, are knowledgeable about critical homeland security technologies, and have worked closely with homeland security professionals in the field. In addition, 90 percent have advanced degrees, and more than half hold PhDs.

Vice President and Director:  Tim Beres      Managing Directors: Monica Giovachino, Leslie-Anne Levy

Staff

SAS Leadership

Timothy L. Beres
Vice President and Director
Tim Beres oversees the development and execution of CNA’s work in public safety, homeland security, emergency management, and public health. He is a former Senior Executive at DHS, where he planned and implemented homeland security programs, including the UASI program—the first interoperable communications technical assistance program for state and local jurisdictions and for national capabilities assessments. He led the initial implementation of Homeland Security Presidential Directive 8 on national preparedness and oversaw the creation of (and revisions to) transit and port security grant programs. He served as a member of the Secretary of Homeland Security’s Task Force on Funding (chaired by then Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney) in March 2004 and is a current member of the state and local sub-group on the Project for National Security Reform, sponsored by the Center for the Study of the Presidency. He has testified before the House Committee on Government Reform, Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations, and the Census and before the House Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Preparedness. He has also been an instructor for the National Governors Association’s New Homeland Security Advisor training and has published numerous articles on risk management and measuring preparedness. He has a B.A. in History from Virginia Tech.

Monica Giovachino
Managing Director
Monica Giovachino has been with CNA since 1994. She has expertise in the design and evaluation of complex exercises, and she led the evaluation of the 2007 Top Officials (TOPOFF) 4 exercise for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. She has also led analyses of real-world operations—including evaluations of the U.S. Health and Human Services response to Hurricane Katrina and to disease outbreaks and an after-action review of District operations in support of the 2009 Presidential Inauguration—and has helped agencies draft strategic and emergency operations plans and perform capabilities and readiness assessments. She has worked with state and local emergency management, public health, and agriculture agencies in California, Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, Texas, Vermont, and the District of Columbia. In addition to DHS and HHS, she has worked with other federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Defense. She has an M.S. in Environmental Engineering from George Washington University and a B.A. in Physics from Virginia Tech.

Leslie-Anne Levy
Managing Director
Leslie-Anne Levy has been involved in safety and security research, policy development, and policy implementation in the public and private sectors since 1998. She has led a number of CNA projects for federal, state, and local clients, including preparedness assessment and reporting; policy research and analysis; and homeland security risk management training initiatives. In addition, she has developed guidance for preparedness assistance programs and created training and technical assistance programs for state and local homeland security program personnel. Prior to joining CNA in 2007, she held positions with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, a private-sector defense and security consulting firm, and a nonprofit policy research organization focused on national and international security. She has an M.A. in International Affairs from the Fletcher School at Tufts University and a B.S. in International Affairs from Georgetown University.