Empowering agencies through smart solutions.

JT White is Cofounder & CEO at Forerunner. Prior to co-founding Forerunner, JT led digital product design at Managed by Q, an online marketplace for office services acquired by WeWork in 2019 for $200m and Maven Clinic, a women's healthcare startup, now valued at $1.7b. Earlier in his career, JT worked as a design researcher at the MIT Media Lab, where he helped develop an urban planning platform that would ignite his interest in disaster risk mitigation. JT grew up in Maine where his family owned a home in a coastal community - his personal concerns about the impact of rising sea levels on homes along the coast was a key driver in the decision to launch Forerunner.

Brad Cavanagh was first elected Mayor of Dubuque in November 2021 and reelected in November 2025. He previously served on the Dubuque City Council beginning in 2019, representing the city's Fourth Ward. Brad is a small business owner and social worker with over 20 years of practice experience. He holds a bachelor's degree in social work from the University of Iowa and a master's degree in social work from Saint Louis University. From 2010–2021, he taught at Loras College in Dubuque as an associate professor of social work, and he currently owns and operates a fair trade store in downtown Dubuque. Brad and his wife, Jennifer, have two sons. A Dubuque native, Brad has served his hometown in several ways since returning in 2008. Prior to his election to City Council, he was a member of the Dubuque Housing Commission, served as Vice Chairman of the Dubuque County Food Policy Council, was a board member for the Fountain of Youth, served as Chair of the Guiding Coalition for the City's Circles Initiative, and is a co-founder of Resources Unite. As Mayor, Brad serves on the boards of Dubuque Initiatives, the Dubuque Racing Association (DRA), the Greater Dubuque Development Corporation, Travel Dubuque, the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce, and DBQ Air, and chairs the Dubuque Metropolitan Area Transportation Study. He is also serving as the 2025–2026 Immediate Past President of the Iowa League of Cities and is an active member of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Chris Schilling is the VP of Product at Forerunner, where he focuses on building tools that empower local governments and the people driving resilience in their communities. With over a decade of experience in product leadership, Chris is passionate about supporting those working on the frontlines of climate adaptation. Previously, he co-founded Driveway, a digital adoption platform designed to make software more accessible and intuitive.

Hiyi, Nim Hoyowus Damion Cuara Na Tatsi Yokut. Deeply rooted in the Santa Rosa Rancheria Tachi Yokut Tribe, Damion Cuara was born and raised within the tribal community. Having served the nation since the age of 18, he has actively witnessed and contributed to the community's ongoing growth, progress, and development. Currently serving with the Tribal Environmental Protection Agency, Mr. Cuara continues his commitment to tribal service by dedicatedly safeguarding the lands and supporting the Tachi Yokut people.

Rick Foster serves as the Director of the Office of Planning & Development, Building Official, and Floodplain Administrator for the City of Denham Springs, Louisiana. In these positions, he oversees urban planning, local code enforcement, and hazard mitigation across the municipality. Rick is actively involved in statewide leadership. He is a Past-President of the Building Officials Association of Louisiana (BOAL) and represents Region 2 within the Louisiana Floodplain Management Association (LFMA), working to advance building safety education, conservation, and flood mitigation strategies across the state.

Derrick Hiebert is the Infrastructure Resilience Practice Leader at AECOM where he helps state and local governments develop, manage, and deliver hazard mitigation and climate adaptation programs. Prior to AECOM, Derrick served as the Assistant Administrator for Hazard Mitigation at FEMA, overseeing a $35B Mitigation grant portfolio and the Floodplain Management program. His roots are in state and local emergency management in Washington State and King County in hazard mitigation grants and planning. Derrick is a proponent of state leadership in resilience and recovery, and the technology, tools, organizational design, and finance strategies that help make that a success.

Megan Wepfer is the Public Works Director for the City of Madeira Beach, where she leads operations supporting coastal infrastructure, resiliency, and municipal services in a dynamic barrier island environment. She began her career with the city in 2015 as the Administrative Assistant to the Public Works and Marina Director and has steadily advanced through the organization into her current leadership role. Her career reflects a strong foundation in municipal operations, hands-on experience, and a commitment to public service.  Megan holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a Master of Public Administration, which she completed in 2024 as a prerequisite to her role as Director. She pursued public administration to strengthen her leadership, organizational management, and policy implementation skills in support of effective local government. She completed her graduate studies just prior to the impacts of Hurricane Helene, which significantly affected Madeira Beach and further shaped her focus on coastal resiliency, infrastructure recovery, and long-term sustainability. As a public works leader, Megan brings a practical, solutions-oriented perspective to challenges facing coastal communities, including storm recovery, asset management, and balancing environmental stewardship with community needs.

Doa Ross is the Deputy General Manager of Engineering and Operations for the Las Vegas Valley Water District and the Southern Nevada Water Authority.  Doa has been with the organization since 2000 and manages four departments with more than 750 employees within the Engineering, Infrastructure Management, Operations, and Water Quality and Treatment departments. In this role, she oversees the planning, design, construction, asset management, treatment and distribution of hundreds of millions of gallons of safe drinking water within Southern Nevada to 2.4 million residents and visitors every day.  In recognition of her leadership and expertise in the field of public works, the American Public Works Association named Doa one of the Top 10 Public Works Leaders of the Year for 2025.

Savannah Tini, CFM, is an Account Executive at Forerunner, based in Michigan. She supports communities across the country in strengthening their public works and utilities programs. Driven by a commitment to community resilience and efficient government operations, she has four years of experience in the government technology sector. Previously, before joining Forerunner, Savannah worked closely with Public Works departments to streamline routing, collection, and operational workflows, helping agencies adopt more efficient, data-driven processes. Now at Forerunner, Savannah focuses on helping communities leverage modern, geospatial technology to improve efficiency, enhance public transparency, and build safer, more resilient futures.

Mark Hagerty is a 40-year veteran of the construction industry specializing in floodplain
management since 1993. Mark was among the first in Florida to obtain the Certified Floodplain
Managers (CFM) certification in 2001. His floodplain management career began with the City of
North Miami where he was an integral part of the floodplain program until his retirement in
2013. Mark is currently the Floodplain Manager, Floodplain Administrator, and Community Rating
System (CRS) Coordinator for the City of Fort Lauderdale. Mark has been an active member of the Florida Floodplain Managers Association (FFMA) since its inception in 2001. As an FFMA Regional Director, a position he held for 6 years, Mark hosted numerous FEMA and FFMA training courses. He has been a proctor for the CFM exam since 2017. Currently, Mark is the Chair of the FFMA.

Jackie Teran is the VP of Engineering at Forerunner, where she leads the development of AI-powered climate resilience software that helps communities prepare for and recover from disasters. With a background in Environmental Economics & Policy and experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer, her career has focused on building technology in service of real-world impact. She has led engineering teams at early-stage startups and high-growth companies, scaling both products and organizations while cultivating strong, values-driven engineering cultures.

JT White is Cofounder & CEO at Forerunner. Prior to co-founding Forerunner, JT led digital product design at Managed by Q, an online marketplace for office services acquired by WeWork in 2019 for $200m and Maven Clinic, a women's healthcare startup, now valued at $1.7b. Earlier in his career, JT worked as a design researcher at the MIT Media Lab, where he helped develop an urban planning platform that would ignite his interest in disaster risk mitigation. JT grew up in Maine where his family owned a home in a coastal community - his personal concerns about the impact of rising sea levels on homes along the coast was a key driver in the decision to launch Forerunner.