Tim Tharp is an accomplished executive leader with a distinguished career spanning government and industry. With 32 years of service in the fire service, Tim rose to the rank of Battalion Fire Chief/Paramedic before retiring in 2009. Following his tenure, he served as a subject matter expert with the United States Marine Corps, where he developed and implemented emergency management career paths and oversaw installation-level emergency management programs as a program assessor.

In recent years, Mr. Tharp has contributed significantly to Maryland's public sector. Initially engaged to support the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, he later led efforts to establish and manage 13 mass vaccination sites statewide. Mr. Tharp also served as the chief of staff to the Adjutant General of the Maryland National Guard, leveraging his expertise in emergency management and leadership.

As a fourth-generation firefighter, Tim Tharp maintains a profound connection to the public safety sector. Motivated by his lifelong passion, he is committed to fostering resiliency within the community and advancing public safety initiatives.

He created this program after everything he went through, asking himself, 'Why was the ‘good stuff’ only available after I needed it?' That realization led to the development of this program, designed to provide that 'good stuff' before the tragedy and trauma hit.