Sara Yerkes
Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, International Code Council (ICC)

Sara Yerkes serves the International Code Council as Senior Vice President of Government Relations. Her duties include overseeing public policy and government relations functions of the organization; developing and implementing a proactive program of effective lobbying and persuasive advocacy; representing and speaking for ICC on policy matters and program activities; coordinating the strategies to implement policies at the federal, state and local levels; supervising the accomplishment of the developed action plans; working closely with Members of Congress, State legislators and their staff to draft and endorse legislation that will support and benefit the ICC’s mission and related goals; seek opportunities to showcase ICC and to expand ICC’s circle of influence.

Yerkes oversees the state and local activities that have successfully gained the adoption and use of the International Codes in all 50 states, U.S. territories and by federal agencies, as well as overseeing programs like the Plumbing, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Program (PMG) Resources for code adoptions, and Fire Service Activities. She also managed ICC’s annual national campaign supporting Building Safety Month and created the ICC High School Technical and the Community Colleges/Universities Programs to teach students how to navigate and use the building codes.

As the primary contact with other national organizations based in Washington, DC, Yerkes also works to strengthen existing alliances and seek opportunities to create new ones.

Dr. Anne Cope, PhD, P.E.
Chief Engineer, Insurance Institute for Building and Home Safety (IBHS)

Dr. Anne Cope joined IBHS in 2009, just a few months before the groundbreaking for the construction of the IBHS Research Center in Richburg, South Carolina. As the Chief Engineer, she leads the development of research programs to improve the performance of structures in hurricanes, wildfires, severe thunderstorms, and hailstorms as well as the team of engineers, scientists, and skilled craftsman who conduct research on full-scale homes and commercial buildings. She is responsible for the team’s implementation of research findings into building codes and standards.

Prior to joining IBHS, Dr. Cope was a project manager and structural engineer with Reynolds, Smith & Hills, Inc., designing projects for NASA, Department of Defense, and commercial launch operations. Dr. Cope’s research encompasses topics ranging from the full-scale simulation of wind effects on buildings to detailed studies of the vulnerabilities of buildings to natural hazards and the development of damage prediction models. She is also a proud veteran of the United States Army. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from Clemson University, and her doctorate from the University of Florida. She is a registered professional engineer in Florida and South Carolina.

Jana Nyette Henderson
Office of Mitigation Director, Mississippi Emergency Management Agency

Jana N. Henderson joined the Emergency Management field in 2003 and has served in several roles, including Administrative Assistant to the Response and Recovery Bureau Director and the Executive Director. Before being named Office Director of Mitigation at the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency and the State of Mississippi Hazard Mitigation Officer in February 2012, Henderson worked in the Mitigation Grants Bureau as a project officer and was later promoted to Division Director. In 2011, Henderson was named Bureau Director of Mitigation Grants. In her 18-year tenure at MEMA, Henderson worked more than 30 declared disasters, including Hurricane Katrina. As Office Director, Henderson was responsible for day-to-day operations of the Floodplain Management Bureau, Mitigation Grants Bureau, and the Mitigation Planning Bureau. She is currently Adjunct Professor at Tougaloo College, working in the Coastal Resilience Center of Excellence-Education Project Division, Sociology and Social Work Department.

Henderson is a native of Bolton, Miss. She received a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a master’s degree in Business Management from Belhaven University. She is a Certified Floodplain Manager and graduate of the National Emergency Management Basic Academy. She has also completed the Federal, Pass- through and Recipient Tracks Grants Management Certificate Program and is pursuing a degree in the Paralegal field.