Credentials and FEMA training
Every engagement is directed by the firm's principal. This page is the current record of the designations, licenses, and federal training behind that work. Certificates of completion, a license list, a curriculum vitae, and a testimony list are furnished on request.
Principal
- Name
- Chris Chambers, Founder and Principal
- Field experience
- More than 25 years of catastrophe damage assessment
- FEMA
- 45 Independent Study courses across four curricula, all listed below
- Mitigation planning
- IS-318.b Mitigation Planning for Local and Tribal Communities
- NFIP
- Flood certified: residential, commercial, condominium, manufactured housing
- Restoration
- IICRC Water Damage Restoration and Applied Structural Drying
- Ownership
- Enrolled citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
- Education
- MLS, Indigenous Peoples Law, University of Oklahoma; BGS, Economics, University of Kansas
- Executive education
- The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania; Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Membership
- Oklahoma Indian Bar Association
- Insurance
- Executive General Adjuster; Texas designated home state license, NPN 5700272
Designations, certifications and licensure
| Credential | Title and relevance |
|---|---|
| FEMA | FEMA Emergency Management Institute Independent Study, 45 coursesMitigation planning, Public Assistance, damage assessment and recovery, and incident management. Listed in full below. |
| FIELD | Catastrophe damage assessment, more than 25 yearsField damage assessment after hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, hail, wind and wildfire, from single structures to multi-building commercial and condominium complexes. |
| NFIP | National Flood Insurance Program certificationResidential, commercial, condominium (RCBAP) and manufactured housing. Supports flood damage inspection, substantial damage work and flood insurance review under Section 312. |
| IICRC | Water Damage Restoration and Applied Structural DryingRestoration industry certifications supporting moisture mapping, drying documentation, and scope and causation analysis on water losses. |
| MLS | Master of Legal Studies, Indigenous Peoples Law, University of OklahomaGraduate legal training in federal Indian law and tribal sovereignty. A non-attorney degree. |
| OIBA | Oklahoma Indian Bar Association, memberThe Oklahoma bar organization advancing Indian law, open to attorneys, law students, tribal court personnel, and other professionals. |
| EGA | Executive General AdjusterThe senior adjusting designation for the largest and most complex property losses. Relevant to claims services, appraisal and expert witness work. |
| Licensure | Multi-state property and casualty adjuster licensureTexas as designated home state, with non-resident licenses, including Louisiana and Oklahoma, held or obtained in any state that reciprocates with Texas. Some states, including Kansas, do not license independent adjusters. NPN 5700272. |
| BGS | Bachelor of General Studies, Economics, University of KansasUndergraduate training in economics, 2001. |
| WHARTON | Entrepreneurial Launch, The Wharton School, University of PennsylvaniaExecutive education certificate in venture formation, growth strategy and capital structure, completed 2025. |
| MIT | AI Design and Launch, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyExecutive education certificate in applied artificial intelligence design and deployment, completed 2025. |
Credentials by service line
Each practice line draws on a different part of the record. Every service page shows only the credentials that apply to that work.
| Service line | Credentials that apply |
|---|---|
| Damage assessment | 25+ years catastrophe damage assessment; IS-559, IS-556, IS-1004, IS-1006, IS-1007, IS-284.a, IS-285, IS-273, IS-274, IS-922.a; NFIP flood; IICRC WRT and ASD |
| Tribal mitigation plans | IS-318.b, IS-328.a, IS-393.b, IS-212.b, IS-30.b, IS-2700, IS-650.b; MLS, Indigenous Peoples Law; enrolled Choctaw ownership |
| Local mitigation plans | IS-318.b, IS-328.a, IS-393.b, IS-212.b, IS-30.b, IS-273, IS-274, IS-284.a, IS-285; NFIP flood |
| FEMA Public Assistance | Sixteen PA courses in the IS-1000 series; IS-559, IS-556, IS-2900.a, IS-2901, IS-403.a; NFIP flood and IS-1015 for Section 312 |
| Government contracting | IS-100.c, IS-200.c, IS-700.b, IS-800.d baseline plus the full record; Indian Economic Enterprise; SBA 8(a) in process |
| Claims services | Executive General Adjuster; multi-state adjuster licensure; NFIP flood; IICRC WRT and ASD; Xactimate |
| Expert witness and appraisal | Executive General Adjuster; 25+ years catastrophe and large loss; NFIP flood; IICRC; MLS, Indigenous Peoples Law |
FEMA Independent Study record
The firm’s principal has completed 45 FEMA Emergency Management Institute Independent Study courses spanning four curricula. Every course is listed below by track, with its current version suffix. The complete transcript, with completion dates and certificate numbers, is furnished on request and can be dropped straight into a technical volume.
Mitigation planning, floodplain management and tribal coordination
Plan development and review to 44 CFR 201.6 and 201.7, the Hazard Mitigation Assistance programs and the eGrants system, flood insurance rate maps, substantial damage estimation, and tribal government partnerships.
IS-318.b Mitigation Planning for Local and Tribal CommunitiesIS-328.a Plan Review for Local Mitigation Plans
IS-393.b Introduction to Hazard Mitigation
IS-212.b Introduction to Unified HMA
IS-30.b Mitigation eGrants System for the Subgrant Applicant
IS-2700 National Mitigation Framework
IS-273 How to Read a Flood Insurance Rate Map
IS-274 How to Use a Flood Insurance Study
IS-285 Substantial Damage Estimation for Floodplain Administrators
IS-284.a Using the Substantial Damage Estimator 3.0 Tool
IS-650.b Building Partnerships with Tribal Governments
Public Assistance program delivery
The full PA delivery model from eligibility and site inspection through damage description, scope and cost development, insurance reconciliation, 406 mitigation, infrastructure categories, and post-award changes.
IS-1000 Public Assistance Program and EligibilityIS-1002 FEMA Grants Portal
IS-1004 The FEMA Site Inspection Process
IS-1006 Documenting Disaster Damage and Developing Project Files
IS-1007 Detailed Damage Description and Dimensions
IS-1008 Scope of Work Development (Scoping and Costing)
IS-1009 Conditions of the Public Assistance Grant
IS-1013 Costing, Estimates and the Cost Estimating Format
IS-1015 Insurance Considerations, Compliance, and Requirements
IS-1014 Integrating 406 Mitigation into Your PA Grant
IS-1017 Scope Change Requests and Time Extensions
IS-1010 Emergency Protective Measures
IS-1011 Roads and Culverts
IS-1021 Bridge Damage Considerations
IS-1023 Electrical Systems Considerations
IS-1024 Water and Wastewater Treatment Systems
Damage assessment, recovery and geospatial
Preliminary and local damage assessment methodology, the National Disaster Recovery Framework and community lifelines, Individual Assistance, continuity planning, and GIS applications for emergency management.
IS-559 Local Damage AssessmentIS-556 Damage Assessment for Public Works
IS-922.a Applications of GIS for Emergency Management
IS-2900.a National Disaster Recovery Framework Overview
IS-2901 Introduction to Community Lifelines
IS-403.a Introduction to Individual Assistance
IS-1300.a Introduction to Continuity
Incident management and emergency operations
ICS and NIMS doctrine, the National Response Framework, emergency operations center functions, emergency planning, resource management, incident action plan development, public information, and livestock disaster response.
IS-100.c Introduction to the Incident Command SystemIS-200.c Basic ICS for Initial Response
IS-201.a Incident Action Plan Forms and Incident Management
IS-700.b Introduction to NIMS
IS-703.b NIMS Resource Management
IS-800.d National Response Framework
IS-230.e Fundamentals of Emergency Management
IS-235.c Emergency Planning
IS-2200 Basic Emergency Operations Center Functions
IS-29.a Public Information Officer Awareness
IS-111.a Livestock in Disasters
Retired FEMA courses. Some solicitations still list Independent Study courses that FEMA has retired without a direct replacement, including IS-253 (Coordinating Environmental and Historic Preservation Compliance), IS-1001 (The Public Assistance Delivery Model Orientation), IS-1016 (Environmental and Historic Preservation Considerations for Public Assistance Grants) and IS-1018 (Determination Memorandums and Appeals). They can no longer be completed and are not claimed here. Where a solicitation names one, the firm documents the equivalent coverage in its current record in writing before proposal submission.
Training is held by the firm’s principal, who directs every engagement. Where a solicitation requires named coursework for key personnel, the firm confirms coverage in writing before proposal submission. See the key personnel table for coursework mapped to common requirements.
Representative experience
Client names and matter details are provided directly on request rather than published, so that client confidentiality is preserved.
- Tribal and governmental engagementsMitigation planning and Public Assistance recovery consulting for tribal governments, including Stafford Act Section 312 insurance reconciliation.
- Hurricane catastrophe deploymentsSlab team leadership following Hurricane Katrina, and catastrophe damage assessment deployments across the Gulf Coast, Florida, and the interior hail and wind states.
- Large commercial loss, Gulf CoastAn $85 million commercial property loss, from damage scope development through resolution.
- Condominium and association propertiesMulti-building complexes and condominium association flood and wind losses.
- Carrier side leadershipMulti-line supervision, catastrophe special claims, and commercial general adjusting roles inside national property and casualty carriers.
Where these credentials get used
Need the documents?
Counsel, carriers, contracting officers, and tribal procurement officers can request the curriculum vitae, FEMA training transcript, fee schedule, license list, certificates, and capability statement. Most requests go out the same business day.