On Friday, Neal announced in a press release that Bryan Crawley has been appointed to the position. He was sworn in Wednesday afternoon.
Officials received nine applications, and a committee was then assembled to perform interviews and to assist in the selection.
Neal shared his thoughts, praising the experience Crawley brings to the table.
"Bryan has over 30 years of experience in emergency management services and holds numerous certifications in this field. He brings the experience and management skills that are greatly needed in this position." Neal continued, "After being sworn in, he immediately went to begin providing the necessary resources to the agencies involved in recovery efforts of the missing female in the river. He has already observed that there are many issues that need to be addressed with emergency management and he is eager to deliver results."
Crawley has received many certifications and commendations throughout his career, including: Initial Attack Incident Commander certification, Fire Fighter 1 and 2, EMT, paramedic, strike team task leader, medical unit leader, fire line safety officer, helicopter crew member, and a member of the National Wildfire Coordinating Group.
Crawley says he will work to bring the agency up to national standards.
"I look forward to the opportunity to put my knowledge to good use in this position as Emergency Management Director here in Marshall County. I'm going to see what the current infrastructure is and then see what we need to do to bring it up to national standards, that's one of the things the Judge has tasked me with. My hope is that I can bring my experiences to this office to be able to bring in more resources."
