Kiley earns Business Continuity Planning Professional certification

Shawn Kiley, business continuity analyst in the Office of Emergency Management, recently earned the Business Continuity Planning Professional certification from the Disaster Recovery Institute (DRI) International. The weeks-long process included a four-day seminar, a qualifying exam and a series of subject-matter-expertise essays that were reviewed by the organization’s governing commission.

“DRI International’s certification is the most recognized and respected in the field. The process for obtaining this recognition is grueling,” said Chris Gonyar, director of emergency management. “Shawn’s achievement signifies his commitment to ensuring our University’s preparedness in times of crisis.”

Since joining the University in 2012, Kiley has focused on managing the Business Continuity Planning program for the University. This includes managing departmental continuity of operations plans (COOP); business impact analyses; the COOP test, training and exercise program; and the campus-wide business continuity plan. Among his most significant achievements was reimagining how departments complete continuity of operations plans. Kiley worked with the College of Computing and Informatics and others to create the University Resiliency Planner software that streamlines the updating process and allows for better data analytics.

“Since UNC Charlotte is ‘a city within a city,’ knowing that I contribute in some small way toward making our community more resilient and prepared means the world to me,” Kiley said. “I really enjoy working to accomplish the goal of university resilience.”

He must maintain his recent certification through 40 hours of continuing education every year.

Kiley holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Florida Atlantic University and a master’s in public administration with a concentration in emergency management from UNC Charlotte.

To learn more about business continuity at UNC Charlotte, visit the Business Continuity Planning website.

Visit the DRI International website to learn more about the Business Continuity Planning Professional certification process.