Critical Incident Preparation and Response

Chris Lukach, APR, is CEO and owner of AKCG – Public Relations Counselors, a national public relations firm specializing in issue and crisis preparedness and response. Chris has been instrumental in developing issue and crisis communications plans and advising independent school clients. Chris also leads the firm’s spokesperson training team, guiding subject matter experts — from scientific researchers and healthcare officials to heads of school and university presidents, to religious leaders — to be effective communicators in today’s nuanced and challenging media landscape. Chris is a past president and chair of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association and the youngest leader in the association’s 70-year history. A graduate of Rowan University and an active member of the school’s alumni community, Chris was named the university’s “Distinguished Alumnus” in 2018. In 2019, Chris earned his Master of Legal Studies degree from Drexel University. He serves on the board of WHYY, Inc., the Philadelphia area’s NPR affiliate.

With 20 years of human resources-related experience, Amber Stockham, SPHR, brings expertise in regulatory compliance, talent acquisition and management, organizational planning, and compensation and benefits design to her role as director, human resources programs at NBOA. Prior to joining NBOA in 2020, her career spanned a variety of industries, including social services, manufacturing and construction. She found a passion for education when she served as the director of human resources at Miss Hall’s School, an independent day/boarding school for girls in grades 9-12 in Massachusetts. In her current role, Stockham develops and delivers highly practical and engaging programs, products and services on topics ranging from difficult conversations and employee supervision to benefits administration. Stockham holds a master of business administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.