Hal Cohen, AICP

hcohen@wittassociates.com

Senior Planner

Washington, DC

Hal Cohen is a Project Manager and Senior Planner at James Lee Witt Associates. His specializes in crisis preparedness, hazard mitigation planning, disaster recovery and rebuilding, safety and security program development, as well as continuity of operations/ continuity of government planning, emergency operations planning, and related fields. Mr. Cohen is skilled in coordinating studies and after-action reports with findings and recommendations to assist clients in strengthening their programs.  He provides objective reviews of emergency management coordination and communication.  His clients have included local and state governments and higher educational institutions in states including New Jersey, New York, Iowa, Virginia, Louisiana, and Washington DC. 

Mr. Cohen's varied previous roles have given him excellent client-relations capabilities, extensive interview experience, a deep understanding of partnership building, and outstanding writing and editing abilities. Mr. Cohen's experience in disaster recovery, land use planning and sustainable development provide a solid technical background for his work in mitigation and recovery.

Prior to joining James Lee Witt Associates, Mr. Cohen served as the Director of Planning for the Louisiana Recovery Authority Support Foundation in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. As the project manager for the post-Katrina "Louisiana Speaks" regional plan, he helped establish a long-term planning and policy framework.  His responsibilities and accomplishments in Louisiana included developing a legislative agenda; managing RFPs, contracts, budgets and schedules; and coordinating a wide-reaching outreach campaign including public meetings, workshops, surveys, television, internet, and print media. 

Previously, Mr. Cohen was associate editor for The Baton Rouge Business Report. He received state and national awards for explanatory writing and investigative journalism. His writing has also appeared in The New York Times, Village Voice, Metropolis, Industry Standard, Lingua Franca and other publications, where he variously covered higher education, real estate, and urban planning. He earned a BA from the University of Michigan, an MA from Columbia University, and Master of Urban Planning from New York University.