#PrepTalkNYC {Click to listen to episode 44}

December 23, 2019 — As spectators anticipate the countdown to a new year, the eyes of the world turn to the crossroads of the world. On the latest episode of “Prep Talk,” officials from Times Square Alliance and NYC Emergency Management provide exclusive, behind-the-scenes insight into the organization of this special event. Guests Tom Harris, senior vice president for the Times Square Alliance, and Kevin Clark, operations manager at NYC Emergency Management, discuss why comprehensive planning and coordination, including robust security measures, are paramount to a successful night. You can listen to the latest episode on Soundcloud, iTunes, and Spreaker.

Profiles

Kevin Clark is operations manager in the Operations division at NYC Emergency Management. He has worked in New York State and New York City government since 1989. Kevin is responsible for NYC Emergency Management’s operational planning and interagency coordination for over 25 special events each year, including the annual New Year’s Eve event in Times Square. Kevin joined NYC Emergency Management in 2002 to help reconstitute citywide response plans that were lost on September 11, 2001. He was a member of the 2012 New York City Hurricane Sandy Debris Removal Task Force that received the 2013 United Nations Green Star Award for innovative re-use and recycling strategies. Kevin is a graduate of Michigan State University and James Madison College and regularly practices yoga.

Tom Harris is the senior vice president for the Times Square Alliance, where he oversees a fifty-person proprietary security force, an eighty-person sanitation team, and serves as a liaison between local businesses and City agencies on a day-to-day basis and during emergency responses. In his role, he oversees event coordination and management for all Times Square events including the annual New Year’s Eve celebration. Prior to joining the Alliance, Mr. Harris spent 25 years as a member of the New York City Police Department, rising to the rank of Inspector. Mr. Harris holds a master’s degree in public administration from Marist College, is a graduate of the Columbia University Police Management Institute and the CORO Neighborhood Leadership Program.

  New Years, New Years Eve, New York City, NYC, Times Square