Russ Taylor hired as new EMA director

HAMILTON — Russ Taylor was hired as the new Marion County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) director by the Marion County Commission during its meeting on Monday, March 17.
Taylor previously served as the Fayette County EMA director from 2017 through 2022.
Before that, Taylor had served eight years in the Marine Corps before going back to school to study homeland security at Tulane. He eventually received his master’s degree in emergency management.
Taylor is also a state certified local emergency manager (CLEM) through the state EMA.
The Marion County Commission has been searching for a new EMA director since Eric Terrell took a job with the county water authority last year.
“We had started taking applications for a new EMA Director since Eric had taken the job with the Marion County water,” said Commission Chairman Greg Gunnin. “We did move Blake (Farley) in to interim EMA, so we’d have somebody until we found one.
“Russ is a blessing for us, because he was a former EMA director for Fayette County. He put in and we interviewed him and three others, and he has a degree in emergency management, and he’s been through all the classes and everything, so he can come in and go right to work. Everything we ask EMA to do, he’s more than qualified to do it."