Robert A. Jensen

Robert A. Jensen
Born
Robert Andrew Jensen

1965 (age 59–60)
Bay Area, California
NationalityAmerican
Alma materCalifornia State University, Fresno
OccupationChairman of Kenyon International · Writer · Crisis Management Expert
Years active1998–present
SpouseBrandon D. Jones
Websiterobertajensen.com

Robert A. Jensen (born 1965) is an American writer and crisis management expert. He is best known for his responses to the Oklahoma City Bombing, 9/11, Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.

Biography

Jensen was born in the Bay Area, California, and spent most of his childhood on the west coast. His last two years of high school were completed in Florida at Admiral Farragut Academy, a Naval Honor Military high school whose alumni include Alan Shepard and Charles Duke. He graduated from California State University, Fresno with a degree in criminology – law enforcement. [citation needed]

Jensen was commissioned as a US Army officer in 1986 with an initial assignment in field artillery at Fort Sill, but soon took the Pershing Officer Course that led him to become a launch control officer in Germany. While serving, Jensen was also the commander of the 54th Quartermaster Company – Mortuary Affairs. As commander, he responded to incidents such as the 1996 Croatia USAF CT-43 crash and the Oklahoma City bombing.[1]

Jensen is the former chairman of Kenyon International Emergency Services.[2] He has directed and been involved in response and recovery efforts for numerous international large-scale crises, typically terrorist attacks, criminal and civil investigations, natural disasters, and countless transportation accidents – most involving large-scale loss of life. These have included complex events such as bombings in the UN Headquarters in Baghdad, 2002 Bali bombings, the September 11 attacks, seizure of the In Amenas gas plant, the 2015 Sousse attacks, the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Hurricane Katrina and multiple large-scale aircraft, rail and maritime disasters.

Jensen has contributed to international and national news outlets, including Business Insider, NPR and Univision, as to what families and the general public could expect after the Surfside condominium building collapse.[3][4][5] The New York Times, Associated Press and BuzzFeed News interviewed Jensen regarding the number of COVID-19 fatalities in New York City. He has provided behind the scenes interviews to The Houston Chronicle, GQ Magazine and The Telegraph about crisis and disaster management.[6][7][8] Jensen has also provided commentary on leadership, crises and their aftermath on the Oklahoma City Bombing, 9/11, Bombing of UN Headquarters in Iraq, Hurricane Katrina,[9] 2004 Asian Tsunami,[10] 2010 Haitian Earthquake,[11] Grenfell Tower Fire,[12] Pandemic and multiple aircraft disasters including Germanwings Flight FU 9525, Helios Flight 522, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 and Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 to media outlets including the Associated Press, Reuters, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Telegraph, BBC, CNN and Sky News.

He has published one technical book and several crisis management articles in publications such as the Houston Business Journal.[13] His first book, Mass Fatality and Casualty Incidents: A Field Guide, a guide to disaster responses to events that result in mass fatalities, was published by CRC Press, a division of British multinational publisher, Routledge, Jensen's second book, Personal Effects: What Recovering the Dead Teaches Me About Caring for the Living, will be published in September 2021 by St. Martin's Press.

Personal life

Jensen is married to Brandon Jones [14] and has one daughter. [citation needed]

Bibliography

  • Mass Fatality and Casualty Incidents: A Field Guide. CRC Press. 1999. ISBN 9780849312953.
  • Personal Effects: What Recovering the Dead Teaches Me About Caring for the Living. St. Martin’s Press. 2021. ISBN 9781250267993.

References

  1. ^ Johnston, Jody (February 16, 1996). "Post Exchanges Open Throughout Bosnia". The Talon. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  2. ^ "Our Team". Kenyon International Emergency Services. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  3. ^ Jankowicz, Mia (July 1, 2021). "Figuring out what really happened in the Miami condo collapse could take more than a year, expert says". Business Insider. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  4. ^ Garcia-Navarro, Lulu (June 27, 2021). "Disaster Management Expert Discusses Rescue Efforts In Florida". NPR. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  5. ^ Caceres, Lorraine (June 30, 2021). "Surfside Condo Search and Rescue Continues a Week After Collapse". Univision. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  6. ^ Drane, Amanda (July 8, 2021). "When large-scale tragedy hits, Spring-based Kenyon International goes to work". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  7. ^ Larson, Lauren (December 20, 2016). "The Man Who Cleans Up After Plane Crashes". GQ. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  8. ^ Williams, Sally (September 12, 2015). "Inside the little-known Berkshire firm called when disaster strikes". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  9. ^ Barry, Dan (August 27, 2006). "Tracing the Path of a Corpse, From the Street to Dignity". The New York Times. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  10. ^ Paris, Jenny (January 20, 2005). "U.S. Company Aims to Identify Tsunami Victims" (PDF). Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  11. ^ Turner, Allan (January 13, 2010). "Houstonians mobilize to help Haiti". Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  12. ^ Williams, Sally (April 14, 2018). "What Next? After the fire" (PDF). Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  13. ^ Jensen, Robert A. (July 9, 2021). "How to properly handle a disastrous situation". Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  14. ^ "Spotlight: Robert A. Jensen on leadership, responsibility and crisis management". The Business Magazine. 2021-07-21. Retrieved 2021-07-30.

Sources