Brian Farley
Chief, Exercise Section, New York State Office of Emergency Management
Brian Farley serves as the Exercise Section Chief for the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, Office of Emergency Management (NYS DHSES OEM), where he leads the statewide emergency exercise program and oversees a team of ten professionals responsible for the design, conduct, evaluation, and improvement of exercises across New York State. His leadership ensures that state agencies, local jurisdictions, and executive-level stakeholders conduct emergency exercises effectively for real-world emergencies, including State Operation Emergency Operation Center (SEOC) operations and cross-jurisdictional response. He also has managed the coordination of the Citizen Preparedness Corps Program, supervises instructors delivering FEMA- and State-backed exercise trainings across New York.
Since joining NYS OEM in 2012, Brian has advanced through multiple key roles, including serving as Operations Section Chief in the SEOC during incident activations. Brian also continues his participation as a deployable member of the State Incident Management Team (IMT) in several capacities, including Equipment Manager and other logistics leadership roles.
He is a FEMA-recognized Master Exercise Practitioner (MEP) and holds a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications with a minor in Theater Production from SUNY Oneonta. His background in communications and production supports his strengths in exercise planning, presentation, training delivery, and stakeholder engagement.
His foundation in leadership began as an Eagle Scout and continues through sustained community service and professional excellence, earning consistent recognition for performance and contribution. In his personal time, Brian enjoys tackling mechanical projects on his house and vehicles – whether it’s routine maintenance or full-scale repairs. In addition, Brian enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, and values being active especially outdoors, whether exploring nature, or engaging in outdoor family activities. These hobbies reflect his love of working with tools, building things as a team and with precision, and seeing a project through from concept to completion.