MURIEL BOWSER
MAYOR
September 16, 2022
The Honorable Phil Mendelson
Chairman
Councilof heDistrict ofColumbia
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 504
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Chairman Mendelson:
Pursuant to section 2 of the Confirmation Act of 1978, effective March 3, 1979 (D.C. Law
2-142;
D.C. Official Code 1-323.01) and pursuant to section 3203ofthe Officeof Unified Communications
Establishment Act of 2004, effective December 7, 2004 (D.C. Law 15-205; D.C. Official Code 1-
327.52), 1am pleased to nominate the following person:
Ms. Karima Holmes
Rhode Island Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20018
(Ward 5)
for appointment as the Director of the Office of Unified Communications, to serve at the pleasure
of the Mayor.
Enclosed you will find biographical information detailing the experienceofthe above-mentioned
nominee, together with a proposed resolution to assist the Council during the confirmation process.
I would appreciate the Council'searliest considerationof this nomination for confirmation. Please
do not hesitate to contact me, or Steven Walker, Director, Mayor's Office of Talent and
Appointments, should the Council require additional information.
Sincerely,
Muriel Bawser
 Z fe Phil Mendelson
at the request of the Mayor
A PROPOSED RESOLUTION
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT
OFCOLUMBIA.
To confirm the appointment of Karima Holmes as the Director of the Office of Unified
Communications of the District of Columbia.
RESOLVED, BY COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this resolution
may be cited as the Director of the Office of Unified Communications Karima Holmes
a Confirmation Resolution of 2022.
22
23 Sec. 2. The Councilof the District of Columbia confirms the appointment of:
24 Ms. Karima Holmes
25 Rhode Island Avenue, NE
26 Washington, DC 20018
27 (Ward 5)
29 as the Directorofthe Office ofUnified Communications, in accordance with section 3203ofthe
30 Office of Unified Communications Establishment Act of 2004, effective December 7, 2004
31 (D.C. Law 15-205; D.C. Official Code 1-327.52), to serve at the pleasureofthe Mayor.
32 Sec. 3. The Councilofthe District of Columbia shall transmit a copy of this resolution,
33 upon its adoption, to the nominee and to the Officeof the Mayor.
34 Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.
 cite KARIMA HOLMES Sa
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eon PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS EXECUTIVE
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nmunication: OSS oe MSO! ad
20+ yearsof experience leading large scale communication operations,
managing ofupto 400 FTEs, and execution ofa $125M budget. Recognized as
an industry thought & change leader, leading at all levels, divisional,
organizational, jurisdictional, or spanning across multiple administrations.
Proven diverse experience, with innate agility, and strategic planning
background; thrives in fast-paced, high-value, dynamic environments.
CRITICAL OPERATIONS @ NATIONALSPECIALSECURITY EVENT PREP @ PUBLIC POLICY @ GOVERNANCE (LOCAL,
STATE, REGIONAL, FEDERAL) @ PRODUCT ROADMAPS/FEATURE ROLL-OUTS @ USER EXPERIENCE @ USER
INTERFACE @CROSS-FUNCTIONAL COLLABORATION @ PUBLIC SAFETY TECHNOLOGIES@ CUSTOMERSERVICE @
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT @ PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS@ TEAMBUILDING CRISIS RESPONSE @
EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT @KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS @ IOT @CONTACT CENTER MANAGEMENT
PROFESSIONAL SNAPSHOT
@:BOARD OFDIRECTORS Active boardmember for aUS. federally mandated board, as a specialgovernmentemployee with
) the Departmentof Commerce. Contribute & consultfora nonprofit board, & aSr. Advisorto atech startu
Zee
CUSTOMER SUPPORT SERVICES Leads high performing Tier|-IV teams, Managed multiple customer contact centers,
/ Responsible for customer experience
andcompany reputation; leads key project management/issue resolution tasks.
RECOGNIZED SME- Experience has created the opportunity to navigate complex and large-scale operations. Sought after
weaker instructorfor crisis leadership and multi-level communications enterprise management,
LEADERSHIP EXAMPLES
Accountable to the mission, as well as to human capital.
Responsibility of managing critical communicationsnetworks; the fieldingoflife-dependent services, maintaining
afive nines (99.99%) radio and information technology system, supporting a fast-paced workforce, and feeding
other communicationssystems/resources/methods to ensure a continuityof operations is realized and
uninterrupted.
Regularly required to collect, prepare, and present information to both executive and elected
entities at the local, state, regional and federal levels.
Duties can range from organizing and directing large scale meetings or receiving strategic informationfor senior
execs, stakeholders, and partners, developing divisional and agency wide plans of execution/response.
Accustomed toserious and impactful responsibilities. Render employee support and morale
maintenance asa high priority.
Making sure teams are listened to and having anopen-door policy hasnot only allowed growth in divisions but
also keeps a short link to those executing the job, on the frontlines. Consistently stay in communications
with
teams to make informed decisions. This steady path ofcommunicationsalso ensures the divisional posture is
understood and aligns with the relevant approach.
 KARIMA HOLMESSoo | page2072
Ihave success of proving how important well-balanced leadership is and how it directly affects work
behavior at a major level.
Consistently foster key partnerships, rich personnel development, and above standard
performance to ensure goals are met.
Becauseof a recognized subject matter expertise stature, lots of experience in advising entities for both planned
and forunplanned high profiled events. Commonly required to represent local and state entities in varying
circumstances, including Congressional hearings and briefings.
Part ofmajorinfrastructural, policy, and leading change oforganizational structures in human &
resource management.
Creationof a positive workenvironment by identifying and addressing poor structure and poor performance
amongmidand high-level managers. Focusing on the need for realigning management and managerial resources
to meet the needs of customers/residents.
Professional Awards: APCO International's 2020 Leadership in Advancing Communications Awards
Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Department's 2019 Chief
ofPolice Special Award
Mid-Atlantic APCO Chapter 2017 Communications Director of the Year
Positions AND EDUCATION
Master of Public Administration, focusin Homeland Security 2010-Augusta State University- Augusta, Georgia
B.A. CriminalJustice, 2006-Augusta State University- Augusta, Georgia
Executive Leaders Program, 2021-Center for Homeland Defense and Security- Monterey, California
wary 2016-Jant 2021; March202: Se
DirectorOfficeof UnifiedCommunications DC-911, DC-311
Re
[iene1Seat REA ARESUS
Washington, DC
Cabinet level Directorof the sole emergency and non-emergency communications center forthe District of
Columbia, USA. Planned, organized, and promoted programs that expanded the call centers functionsand
interoperability with surrounding jurisdictions. Developed and directed all operationsofthe agency by managing
stateofthe art facilities, mission critical operations, radio, and telephony equipment across an arrayofagencies in
the District of Columbia. Established all policies and procedures forall operationsofthe agency and its backup
centers. Served as an authoritative sourceof expertise for all emergency communicationsforthe nations capital.
nuary 2021-Febuary 2022
Senior DirectorShotSpotter
Senior Director oftheIncident Review Center; Customer Support and Professional Services. Responsible for
leading a teamofhighly skilled technicians related to the acoustics and geophysics ofgunshot detection for
forensic analysis for law enforcement entities in cities across the nation. Establishes KPIs related to the efficiency
of incident reporting by use of data analytics. Consistently developing data visualizationsfor problem solving,
trend analysis and pattern identification. Creates professional developmentand business optimization
opportunities across the organization.
 KARIMA HOLMESSRR 2302
Nov2012-Jan 2016
Managing Director Southwest Regional Communication Center
Dallas County Tri-City E911Center; Duncanville,Cedar Hill, DeSoto Texas
Served as the Managing Directorofthe multi-jurisdictional emergency communication center, handling
emergency communications for three suburbs of the largest metropolitan jurisdictions in the Dallas-Fort
Worth area of Texas, Analyzedoverall operations, managed numerous direct reports, prepared a multi-
million-dollar operating budget, and fulfilled capital planning goals to maintain a highly functioning regionally
supported organization, governed by three Boards of Directors. Coordinated and executed comprehensive
emergency communications plans and programs with local elected city officialsin keeping with the goals and
objectivesof the tri-city managers. Represented the agency as the chief spokesperson and community
outreach and engagement manager.
KEY ROLES
First Responder Network Authority Board Member 2020
911der Women, LLC- Board Memberand Treasurer 2021
Registered Public Safety Leader (RPL) Certification 2016
Emergency Number Professional (ENP) National Emergency Number Association 2015
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Communications Security Reliability Information
workgroup CSRIC VI member
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairofsubcommittee for the 911 Strike Force 2021
* Department of Homeland Security, Office of Emergency Management, National Emergency
Communication Plan (NECP) 2019 ExecutiveAdjudication member
Member of National AssociationofState 911 Administrators (NASNA); District of Columbia
representative
ViceChair National Capital Region Vice Chair 911 Directors Committee; Metropolitan Washington Council
ofGovernment
* FormerMetropolitan Washington Council ofGovernments, Chair NCR Carrier Relations subcommittee;
AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint
District ofColumbia Emergency Preparedness Council member
Former Advising Council member of the Washington Regional Threat Analysis Center (WRTAC)/Fusion
Center
+ Executivemember ofthe 2017 and 2020 DCPresidential Inauguration Committees
Alongside the abilities I have at managing people, projects, and major divisions, I have the education, skills,
background, networks,and drive that match the type ofleaders that can strategically manage a hefty
rangeofresources.
 Executive Office ofthe Mayor- Office ofTalent and Appointments
John A. Wilson Building | 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 600 | Washington, DC 20004
Karima Holmes
Karima Holmes is a seasoned public safety professional and a
recognized 9-1-1 industry leader. She has served as executive
director at emergency communications centers (ECC) across the
U.S. where she overhauled their technical infrastructure and
critical public safety programs. Holmes also leveraged her
industry experience to establish partnerships with local and
federal law enforcement and homeland security agencies in
every jurisdiction in which she served.
Highly notable is her oversight of Washington, DCs deployment of its cache of 8,000 radios for
National Special Security Events, State of the Union Addresses, and the 2017 and 2021
Presidential Inaugurations. In fact, Ms. Holmes was at the helm of the sole ECC in the nations
capital throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the civil unrest during the summer of 2020, and the
January 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol,
In 2021, Ms. Holmes chaired the Federal Communications Commission's 911 Fee Diversion
Strikeforce subcommittee on the Impacts of 911 Fee Diversion and coauthored the Strikeforces
final report and recommendations on ending the practice of diverting 911 fees for non-911
purposes, which was submitted to Congress.
After serving as Senior Director at ShotSpotter, where she led a team of analysts in the use of
patented technology to detect, locate and alert police to gunshots in real time, Holmes retuned to
the District of Columbia government and currently serves as the Acting Director of the Office of
Unified Communications.
She is also the treasurer for the 911der Women Inc. Board, a nonprofit created to ensure that
women are empowered to contribute significantly to the public safety industry and push through
roadblocks in pursuitoftheir goals.
A Ward 5 resident, Ms. Holmes has a B.A. in Criminal Justice and a Master of Public
Administration with a concentration in Homeland Security. She also holds an Emergency Number
Professional (ENP) certification from the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) and
is a Registered Public Safety Leader (RPL) with the Association of Public Safety Communication
Officials (APCO). In addition, she is a graduate of the Naval Postgraduate Schools Center for
Homeland Defense and Securitys (CHDS) Executive Leaders Program.
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*
 GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.
ExecutiveOffice of Mayor Muriel Bowser
xk ok ok
WE ARE
WASHINGTON
Office of the General Counsel to the Mayor al
2 Bryan Hum, Steve Walker
DC
: Betsy Cavendish
August 30, 2022
Legal sufficiency review of Resolution nominating Karima Holmes as the
Director of the Office of Unified Communications
This is to Certify
thatthisoffice has reviewed the above-referenced resolution and
found it to be legally unobjectionable. If you have any questions in this regard, please do not
hesitate to call Vanessa Careiro, Deputy General Counsel, Executive Office of the Mayor, at
202-724-1303, or me at 202-724-7681.
Leggeen- A Glencoe:
Elizabeth Cavendish
TheJohn
A.WilsonBuilding > 1350 Suite300 + Washingion, D.C.20004 + Office (202) 724-7681