WASHINGTON, DC—Levick Strategic Communications has named senior vice president Ernest DelBuono chair of the firm’s crisis practice.

Prior to joining Levick, DelBuono served as press assistant to Thad Allen, Commandant of the Coast Guard, and public affairs officer to the federal on-scene coordinator during the Exxon Valdez oil spill response. He also served as deputy director of the Federal Joint Information Center for Hurricane Andrew and was a member of the United States delegation to the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization in London.

After the attacks on 9/11, DelBuono served on the first response team at Dulles Airport and worked with American Airlines in managing the family assistance center and providing care to the loved ones of Flight 77 passengers killed at the Pentagon.

Currently, DelBuono is a member of ASIS International, an association for security professionals, where he serves on the crisis management and business continuity council.