John Tipton is the Olson Group’s Vice President of Virginia Programs and oversees all OGL emergency preparedness projects throughout Virginia. Mr. Tipton currently leads several active shooter/Rescue Task Force (RTF) preparedness projects for Virginia localities and universities, and previously led Virginia’s Complex Coordinated Terrorist Attack (CCTA) planning and exercise program. As part of this program, Mr. Tipton and his team supported the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) in bringing together Federal, state, and local organizations across Virginia to better prepare communities for active shooter incidents and terrorist attacks.
Mr. Tipton has 20 years of experience as a training and exercise specialist, intelligence consultant, and program manager, and is HSEEP-certified. Before joining OGL, Mr. Tipton led counter-terrorism, law enforcement, and intelligence programs domestically and abroad as a private contractor. As a consultant to INTERPOL, Mr. Tipton led and supported international counter-terrorism projects to target foreign-fighter networks operating in conflict zones and served as a subject matter expert for DOD and other government agencies to interdict pirate networks in East Africa. The intelligence-driven counter-piracy work of Mr. Tipton and his team was formally recognized by the United Nations in Security Council Resolution 2020.
Prior to his work at INTERPOL, Mr. Tipton served as a consultant for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) where he managed the Terrorism Prevention Exercise Program (TPEP) and conducted terrorism-based training and exercise programs for law enforcement and Intelligence Fusion Centers nationwide. Additionally, he has designed and conducted numerous tabletop, functional, and full-scale exercises and other events at all levels of government and the private sector, including preparedness activities for National Special Security Events (NSSEs) such as National Political Conventions, the G8 Summit, and two Presidential Inaugurations.