County emergency management director takes statewide position

Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management Director Ryan Nicholls has taken a job in Jefferson City.

Beginning March 25, Nicholls will serve as director of the State Emergency Management Agency, a division of the Missouri Department of Public Safety. He succeeds Paul Parmenter, who retired in December after four years in the position, according to Public Safety Communications Director Mike O’Connell.

“Ryan Nicholls is the consummate professional and has served the (residents) of Greene County with extraordinary leadership and integrity,” Greene County Presiding Commissioner Jim Viebrock said in a news release. “We will miss him here, but our loss is an incredible gain for the (residents) of Missouri.”

In his work the last seven years at the Springfield-Greene County OEM, Nicholls has helped manage efforts in response to the severe ice storm in 2007, the catastrophic Joplin tornado in May 2011 and a 12-day deployment for Hurricane Sandy support.

In August, several federal, state and local officials joined Nicholls in cutting the ribbon on the $19.6 million Greene County Public Safety Center, for which the OEM received full accreditation from the independent Emergency Management Accreditation Program.

“I am very humbled and honored to have been selected for this important position and, at the same time, sad to be leaving behind so many friends and especially my colleagues at OEM,” Nicholls said in the release. “This is a tremendous opportunity for me both personally and professionally. I am eager to begin this new journey.”

Nicholls, who will earn $97,000 in the position, reports to Missouri Public Safety Director Jerry Lee, a former St. Louis County Police chief.

The 36-year-old Nicholls has a master’s degree from Oklahoma State University, a bachelor’s from Missouri State University, and associate degrees from Ozarks Technical Community College and Cox College of Nursing Sciences. He was named a 40 Under 40 honoree by Springfield Business Journal in 2008.

He is a member of the International Association of Emergency Managers and the Missouri Emergency Preparedness Association.

“Ryan and the team at Springfield-Greene County OEM have built a nationally recognized, world-class disaster planning and preparedness program in Springfield and Greene County,” Springfield Mayor Bob Stephens said in the release. “Because of this team’s focus and attention to detail, I think we are among the best-prepared communities in the country.”

Springfield-Greene County OEM Assistant Director Larry Woods will serve as interim director while a national search is conducted, said city spokeswoman Cora Scott. She said a search committee would be assembled following the county’s 90-day moratorium on replacing employees.