Ernest DelBuono

Senior Strategist
LEVICK
@levick

Ernest DelBuono has more than 25 years’ experience as a crisis management professional, including crisis planning, response, media relations and coaching.

Ernest has worked in transportation, petrochemical, consumer products, finance, healthcare, hospitality, food and beverage, defense, homeland security and many other industries. These high-profile crisis engagements involved airline disasters, SUV rollovers, product recalls, natural disasters, eco-terrorism, cruise ship safety, executive misconduct, environmental incidents and earnings restatements.

Currently, he is a member of ASIS International, serving on the Crisis Management & Business Continuity Council.

A retired Coast Guard commander, Ernest served as press assistant to the Commandant of the Coast Guard and public affairs officer to the Federal On-Scene Coordinator during the Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup. He was a first responder to chemical spills, vessel groundings, marine collisions, fires and groundwater contamination incidents. He assisted in establishing the Coast Guard’s National Pollution Funds Center where he designed and implemented communications programs related to the controversial Oil Pollution Act of 1990.

After the 9/11 attacks, Ernest was a first responder at Dulles Airport where he assisted American Airlines in setting up and managing the family assistance center, providing care to the loved ones of Flight 77 passengers killed at the Pentagon.

Ernest also has significant international experience setting up global crisis management programs for multinational corporations in the biotech, paper products, hospitality and manufacturing industries.