Joseph Squire

Joseph “Joe” Squire, P.E. joins the CDR Emergency Management Team as Deputy Chief Operating Officer, focusing on providing operational oversight, strategic direction, and contract administration. Joe will build upon their client relationships in the western regions of the country while assisting in operations nationwide. Joe is a solution-oriented leader with a working knowledge of budget administration, human resource and mentoring practices, intergovernmental agreements, environmental and cultural resource permitting, and design & construction contract methods—from origination to administration, and to final close-out.

Most recently, Joe served as the State Construction & Materials Engineer for the Oregon Department of Transportation. In this role, he provided strategic and tactical direction for Oregon’s $500 million annual state-wide construction budget, with oversight of contract administration, quality assurance, dispute resolution, and contractor relationships.

In September 2020, Joe was selected to lead Oregon’s Wildfire Disaster Recovery effort, FEMA DR-4562-OR. Within a two-month period, and from scratch, he originated all FEMA compliant monitoring, hazard tree removal, debris removal, recycling, and hazardous waste contracts. This was followed by contract execution and administration of contractors, environmental permit compliance, and cultural resource, as well as tribal coordination, public communications, and homeowner assistance. In total, 47 contracts and 11 intergovernmental agreements were developed and implemented for Oregon’s $350+ million recovery response, which was delivered within the estimated timelines—and about $200 million under original State budget projections.

He is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas with a bachelor’s degree in Geology and a master’s degree in Hydrogeology. Throughout his career, Joe has excelled in leadership and mentoring roles in private and public sector positions, inclusive of planning, engineering, heavy civil construction, and contract administration. Joe is a licensed Oregon Professional Engineer.