Board & Advisors
Board of Directors
John “JC” Corbishley (AU) - Chair
J.C. has 30+ year proven track record of problem solving and critical decision making. He’s managed safety at mass gatherings worldwide including the concert to mark the fall of the Berlin Wall, Live Aid and the four 120,000 capacity concerts in Brunei to celebrate the 50th birthday of the Sultan. He was part of the planning and operational team for many major events in central London including the funeral of Diana Princess of Wales, VE Day, the Royal Military Tattoo 2000 which included the national celebrations for the 100th birthday of HM Queen Mother and HM Queen Elizabeth II Golden and Diamond Jubilee celebrations. He is frequently invited to assist advisory bodies and working groups including British Standards for safety staff, has regularly lectured on crowd safety at the UK Government Emergency Planning College and has presented safety workshops in 12 Indian cities for the Indian Premier League.
Steven A. Adelman (US) - Vice Chair
Steve is head of Adelman Law Group, PLLC in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Vice President of the Event Safety Alliance. His practice focuses on risk and safety at live events throughout North America and he has worked on some of the largest lawsuits involving the event industry, including the 2011 Indiana State Fair stage roof collapse and the 2017 Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting in Las Vegas. He is principal author of the authoritative standard for Crowd Management, ANSI ES1.9-2020.
Chris Kerr (CA) - Treasurer
Chris is the President and co-founder of XA Security, a Calgary, Alberta based firm that has focused on live productions, sporting events and crowd management since 2004. He is a Production Manager with nearly 20 years of experience representing promoters and recording artists on concert tours worldwide. He is also a Festival Operations Director responsible for site planning, infrastructure, stakeholder relations and regulatory compliance. He has extensive experience producing urban events with active audiences and high energy performances. He is the Vice Chair of the Event Safety Alliance Canada (ESAC).
Eoghan Gill (IE) - Director
Eoghan is the Director of Strategy for S2|FOAMHAND the event consulting division of OSI Systems Inc. He has been involved in the management of security, stewarding and training on major events for over 20 years. He has managed and led teams at two Olympics, two PanAm Games, two Commonwealth Games , two Ryder Cups and one European Championship, as well as hundreds of regional and national events in numerous countries in North and South America, Europe and the Middle East.
Cathy Knowsley (NZ) - Director
Cathy is a consultant to the events, arts, and entertainment industries, specialising in health and safety management system development, risk management planning, event specific safety planning, event site management and health and safety monitoring. Cathy is a graduate member of NZISM and is on the HASANZ register for health and safety professionals.
Eric Stuart (UK) - Director
Eric is the director of Gentian Events, a Crowd Safety Management Company established in 2009. He has been involved in Crowd Safety for 15 years, although working with crowds since 1980. He is engaged in planning and creating crowd management plans, delivering them on events sites and training others to do likewise. He is also the author of the UKs good practice guide for multi agency safety advisory groups for events. His current work includes contracts in the UK, US and Canada. He is the Chair of the United Kingdom Crowd Management Association (UKCMA)
Proxies & Advisors
Phil Bourton (UK)
Phil Bourton is Planning & Operations Director at Select Security & Stewarding Ltd. with over 20 years’ experience in training, logistics and delivery of security and stewarding services. He works with events from conception through to delivery across a variety of sectors - mass participation sporting events, greenfield music festivals, parades, protests and outdoor arts. Phil specialises in visitor/audience safety planning, management and implementation. Although often found behind a desk, Phil’s natural habitat is a muddy field.
Cary Caldwell (NZ)
Cary is the co-founder and Executive Director for the 212 Music Group that has offices in the UK, US and New Zealand. He was the Logistics Planning Manager for SXSW for 17 years where he was responsible for Law Enforcement Liaison, online threat awareness, event safety and VIP security. Since returning to New Zealand he has hosted the successful Spaced Out Sessions in Christchurch and is working on several upcoming festivals in the South Island.
Donald Cooper (US)
Dr. Cooper is currently Director of Administration for the City of Tallmadge in Northeast Ohio. He retired in 2012 as the Ohio State Fire Marshal, a law enforcement position, and served in the fire-rescue-emergency medical service since 1980. Dr. Cooper is Managing Editor of the Event Safety Guide and he chairs the Event Safety Working Group, one of several committees established by the ESTA Technical Standards Program to develop industry safety standards.
Jim Digby (US)
Jim Digby is a 30+ year veteran of the live music and event production industry. He is highly experienced in domestic and international live event execution, team building, partnership development and crisis management as applied to the successful execution of global entertainment production. He is a vocal advocate for the advancement and application of safety controls and education within the live event sector and frequently speaks on life safety issues, career mentoring and live events as a force for positive social change.
Allison Good (CA)
Allison has been a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police since 1997. Over the course of the past 20 years, she has worked throughout the province, namely; Squamish; Alexis Creek; Salmon Arm; Kamloops and Surrey. In each post, Allison was afforded the opportunity to connect with the community and explore different policing methods and styles. Currently, Allison is in charge of the Emergency & Operational Planning, Diversity and Community Engagement Units of the Surrey RCMP. In this capacity, Allison develops, liaises and oversees in excess of 200 events annually ranging from movie filming to large music festivals and public order events while also managing the emergency planning portfolio for the detachment.
Dave King (IE)
Dave has worked in crowd management for over 25 years in operational management and crowd management consultancy roles. His career has taken him to multiple continents as well as a myriad of venues all around the British Isles. He has worked in senior security, stewarding, guest services and training management , positions in events such as London 2012 Olympics Games, Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, Baku 2015 European Games and Dubai Expo 202O here is was a lead trainer in delivering a range of customer facing stewarding, volunteer and contractor role specific training sessions to over 20,000 people. Dave is passionate about continuous professional development and is currently undertaking a post graduate degree in Health & Safety with a focus on safety of entertainment venues and large public spaces.
Íse Murphy (UK)
Íse Murphy-Morris is an events consultant specialising in crowd safety, event transport and zone ex based on her background in these areas within major sport events, public events and festivals, over the last fifteen years.Through her teaching, podcasts and blog, she is committed to combining research with industry practice, facilitating conversation and working with industry colleagues to improve crowd safety for all.
Janet Sellery (CA)
Janet Sellery is one of Canada’s leading experts in health and safety and the arts. She pioneered the health and safety program at the Stratford Festival, Canada’s largest repertory theatre and one of her favourite projects was working as the Health & Safety Manager for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Ceremonies. Janet is Chair, Event Safety Alliance Canada and an active volunteer with the Ontario Ministry of Labour Live Performance Health & Safety Advisory Committee.
Becca Wilusz (US)
Becca Wilusz serves as the Assistant Director of Athletics/Game Operations and Championships. Wilusz is a Duke Athletics lead in planning and execution of stadium safety and security operations and has been recognized as an Industry Leader Under 40 by The National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security. A multiple degree graduate of Duke University, Wilusz earned a B.S.E. in biomedical and mechanical engineering with a minor in history in 2007, a M.S. in biomedical engineering in 2011 and a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering in 2013.
Secretariat
Anne Marie Chebib (UK)
Anne Marie Chebib is UKCMA Secretary (United Kingdom Crowd Management Association) and Managing Director of Select Security and Stewarding Ltd . She is a crowd management practitioner and consultant for the special events industry, looking after people who look after people, in all roles. Specialisms include strategic planning, agency liaison, and management of projects and personnel. Representative on various consultation committees, she spends far too much time on Zoom. Taking it seriously but likes to smile. Likes tea.
John Badcock (UK)
John Badcock is a freelance event operations manager with 14 years of experience working across a range of UK festivals and events, from major camping festivals on greenfield sites to single day events in city locations to broadcast arena shows. Since 2014 John has also worked seasonally in Austin, Tx as Event Safety and Operations manager for SXSW, with a specific focus on crowd planning, and integration and emergency preparedness with City of Austin Public Safety agencies.
Kate James (UK)
Kate James is a freelance Events, Festivals, and Project Management professional and principal support for the UKCMA. She is the former Festival and Events Manager for the Durham County Council, working on a broad portfolio of events and festivals specifically designed to target the visitor market. Her diverse professional background includes roles in stage management, site coordination and creative programming.
Ben Kidd (UK)
Ben Kidd is an accomplished artist and seasoned creative consultant, specialising in crafting bespoke art across diverse media. With decades of experience in the creative sphere, Ben's journey has taken him centre stage as a performer and behind the scenes as a technician, engineer and producer. A true Renaissance man, he has mastered a spectrum of creative skills, consistently delivering innovative, high-quality work that cements his reputation as a versatile and reliable force in the creative industries.
Jacob Worek (US)
Jacob Worek is Director of Operations and the Swiss Army Knife of the Event Safety Alliance and GCMA®. Over the last two decades he has worn numerous hats in the live event industry, including stints in venue management, business development and production management. He holds twin Bachelor's degrees in Occupational Safety and Telecommunications, OSHA 30 and Safety Trained Supervisor (STS) certifications, is active in Seattle’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program and is the father of two young daughters. Occasionally he sleeps.