JAMESHA COX

8:30-11:45 Wednesday Room WD 109
“Leadership Action Plan: Lessons from the Disaster Recovery Playbook”

When a crisis hits—be it a natural disaster or a team breakdown—leaders are expected to rise to the occasion. But no one talks enough about how. This interactive session uses disaster recovery as a metaphor for leadership in public service. Drawing from her experience managing disaster recovery programs, Jamesha Cox will share how the CPM program helped her lead through chaos, ambiguity, and pressure. 

Participants will engage in a collaborative simulation to create a Leadership Action Plan for a fictional disaster-impacted community. Along the way, they’ll reflect on their own leadership growth, apply CPM tools like systems thinking and communication strategy, and walk away with a personalized commitment for their next chapter as leaders.

With over a decade of cross-sector experience spanning the state, federal, and private sectors, Jamesha brings a well-rounded, mission-driven lens to disaster recovery, policy implementation, and public leadership. Her work reflects a passion for resilience and a deep belief in the power of responsive government.

Jamesha is a Manager within KPMG’s Advisory Services practice, where she leads complex disaster recovery engagements with a focus on HUD Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) and Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) programs. She currently supports state and local governments to drive program implementation, strengthen compliance with federal requirements, and deliver meaningful outcomes across a portfolio of active disaster grants.

Before joining KPMG, Jamesha served as the Assistant Director of Operations for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Disaster Recovery. Before HUD, she was the Policy Manager for the State of Florida’s Office of Long-term Resiliency (OLTR) at the Florida Department of Commerce (formerly the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity). 

Her earlier public service career includes legislative assistant roles in both chambers of the Florida Legislature, as well as work as a Legislative Specialist for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. She also conducted audits and internal control reviews during her tenure as an Internal Auditor in the Office of Inspector General at the Florida Attorney General’s Office.

An alumna of the Florida Certified Public Manager (CPM) program, Jamesha credits the program with helping her build self-awareness, navigate complex team dynamics, and embrace her leadership identity. She also teaches at George Washington University, where she instructs courses in Business Leader Foundations and Career Strategy for the next generation of leaders.