About

about cci

CRISIS CONSULTING INTERNATIONAL

For more than 35 years, Crisis Consulting International (CCI) has been the premier provider of security and crisis management services to the international Christian community. CCI serves Christian humanitarian, mission, and church sending organizations by providing training, consultations, security and risk assessments, and crisis support.

  • Organizational Leadership Training

  • Field Staff Training

  • Leadership Consultations

  • Risk and Threat Assessments

  • Site Security Surveys

  • Crisis Assistance

  • Conference and Event Security

  • Executive Protection

  • Special Services

CCI’s staff consists of mature believers with an unmatched combination of professional training and global experience. CCI has worked with faith-based organizations around the globe and understands the unique threats and realities these agencies face.

Board of Directors

Bob Klamser | CCI Co-Founder and Executive Director

Bob is the co-founder and executive director of Crisis Consulting International. Bob served in law enforcement for 24 years in California, where he held a wide range of responsibilities, including command of a criminal investigation unit, command of a hostage negotiation team, and oversight of his city’s emergency operations center. He has served as missions pastor and administrator of a large California church, serves as a missions advisor for security and crisis management for Missio Nexus, has appeared as an expert commentator and technical consultant on several major television networks, and is a frequent conference and workshop speaker. Bob holds a bachelor’s degree in management from the University of Redlands and a master’s degree in executive leadership from California Polytechnic University. Bob has also served as a guest instructor for the FBI’s crisis negotiation course. In 2016, he received the FBI Director’s Award for Exceptional Service in the Public Interest. In his career, Bob has conducted more than 100 international hostage negotiations.

John L | Chief Operations Officer

John has served with CCI since 2004 and on CCI’s board since 2014. He is currently the head of security for a large Christian NGO, where he oversees domestic and international security, as well as security investigations. John serves or has served on several other boards, including (currently) with a Christian NGO serving West Africa. John is on the steering committee for OSAC’s Faith-Based Sector Committee, and sits on the OSAC Council’s Governance and Standards Sub-Committee. John has worked in the field of security for more than 30 years, and served as a reserve police officer in California for 28 years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice.

Dave Mann | Board Vice-Chair

Dave serves as the Director of Strategic Partnerships with World Partners, an organization associated with the Missionary Church that carries out work in 128 countries. World Partners’ emphasis is on disciple-making through working with local leaders to bring enduring change. Dave previously worked with Youth for Christ as well as with the Missionary Church denominational office. Dave is a graduate of Bethel College in Mishawaka, Indiana, and National Louis University in Chicago. Dave was named Bethel Alumnus of the Year in 2003.

Mike Livingson | Board Treasurer

Mike grew up in the Island of Jamaica. At the age of 17 felt a call to ministry, which he followed by getting his theological training at Fort Wayne Bible College in Indiana. After pastoring and planting churches for 22 years, Mike became the district superintendent of the western district of the Missionary Church, a position he held from 1989 to 2018. Mike is the founder of Stewardship Development Foundation, which later became the Christian Foundation of America (CFA). The foundation’s main purpose was to provide funds for church planting, stewardship education, and estate planning. Mike also developed a rebirthing process for churches that need radical surgery. Since developing this, Mike has personally mentored/coached several plateaued and dying churches through successful rebirths into healthy, dynamic, growing churches. Mike is a certified consultant for Natural Church Development founded by Christian Schwarz, and he serves on several other boards.

Dr. Jason Peters | Board Member

Jason serves as CEO of The Hope Haven Charitable Trust, where he leads Hope Haven Rwanda, a ministry that is transforming Rwandan families through a holistic approach to education and discipleship, while demonstrating the love, hope and truth of Jesus Christ. Jason has traveled extensively to meet with Christians around the globe and returned to share their stories. He and his wife also co-founded The EPICly Initiative, where they inspire EPIC living for Jesus through relationships and storytelling. Jason was an executive editor and contributing author for the national bestselling book I Am N: Inspiring Stories of Christians Facing Islamic Extremists. He was also host and producer of the award-winning I Am N video curriculum. Jason earned his Doctor of Ministry degree from Dallas Theological Seminary and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel after 20 years of service in the U.S. Air Force. He completed assignments at the Pentagon, the U.S. Air Force Academy, and as a faculty member of the Air Force Chaplain Corps College, where he directed Crisis and Trauma training. His account of combat trauma in Iraq was featured in a chapter of the book Miracles and Moments of Grace: Inspiring Stories from Military Chaplains (Leafwood, 2012). Jason has worked in 49 countries.

Dan R | Director of Training

Dan served as a U.S. federal agent for 25 years. During this time his specialized roles included training coordinator, public information officer, first responder for critical incidents, and financial investigations. He served for five years in Nicosia, Cyprus, with responsibilities in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, and Cyprus. He was recognized with exceptional performance awards on three occasions. Dan has served as one of CCI’s lead trainers since 2016 and as Director of Training since 2020. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in criminal justice from the University of Wisconsin, and has a Level II Certification in Arabic language training. Dan also serves on a disaster response team for a large NGO.

CCI’s Consultants and Trainers

For security reasons, CCI does not list all team members’ names or share detailed information that would unnecessarily raise their profiles. However, individually and collectively, CCI’s team consists of experts with many years of global, “on-the-ground” security and crisis management experience. CCI’s team has more than 350 years of combined law enforcement, military, security management, intelligence, investigations, risk management, and/or crisis management experience. The team’s specialized experience and expertise includes: tactical team commanders, emergency managers, crisis managers, security directors, bomb technicians, threat assessment specialists, hostage negotiators, countersurveillance experts, chaplains and pastors, mission and mobilization leaders, training directors, interview and interrogation experts, criminal investigators, and risk management leaders. Collectively, CCI’s team has conducted hundreds of projects for more than 200 faith-based organizations in more than 65 countries.

HISTORY

CCI HISTORY LANE

CCI's ministry began with humble beginnings. Hover over each decade on the timeline below to learn about a brief history of Crisis Consulting International.

IN THE EARLY 1980s a series of high profile missionary kidnappings prompted the... read more

1980

In the early 1990s Contingency Preparation Consultants changed its name to...read more

1990

Into the 2000s the ministry of CCI regularly took place on all major continents...read more

2000

By the 2010s CCI had conducted hundreds of training and consultation sessions...read more

2010

To this day CCI remains one of...read more

2020

OUR TEAM

BOB KLAMSER

Executive Director

Bob Klamser is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Crisis Consulting International. Bob is retired from a 23-year law enforcement career, during which he held a wide range of responsibilities, including command of a criminal investigation unit, command of a hostage negotiation team and command of the operations section of a municipal government’s emergency operations center. In addition to his responsibilities with Crisis Consulting International, Bob has served as missions pastor and administrator of a large California church. He also serves on the Professional Services Network for Missio Nexus.

Bob has presented training seminars and conducted consultations involving hundreds of organizations throughout the world. He has personally participated in hostage negotiations in Africa, Latin America, Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. He has provided other crisis management and security services throughout the world.

Bob earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in management and executive leadership. He has published professional articles and has conducted pre-publication editorial review for two international security management books. He is a frequent conference and workshop speaker and has appeared as an expert commentator and as a technical consultant on several major television networks. Bob and his wife, a retired police officer, live in California.

CCI’S CONSULTANTS

For security reasons, CCI does not list team members' names or share detailed information that would unnecessarily raise their profiles. However, both individually and collectively, CCI’s team comprises of experts with many years of global, "on-the-ground" security experience. Examples of members' experience includes:

Over 350 years combined law enforcement, military, security management, intelligence and/or crisis management experience, including:

  • Tactical team commanders

  • Law enforcement command staff

  • Hostage negotiators

  • Major incident commanders

  • U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration

  • Security operations directors

  • Military police

  • Bomb technicians

Over 100 years combined global faith-based experience, including:

  • Agency leadership roles (managers and directors)

  • Field security directors

  • Crisis management leaders

  • Mobilization and training

Local church leadership experience, including:

  • Short term leaders

  • Church mobilization leaders

  • Pastors

Collectively, CCI’s staff has participated in hundreds of projects for faith-based humanitarian and church sending organizations throughout the world, including:

  • Hostage negotiations throughout Latin America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East

  • Site surveys and risk assessments at missionary schools, hospitals, clinics, churches, residential compounds, airports and aviation programs

  • Training programs and seminars focused on field security issues; risk assessment, policy development and contingency planning; and crisis management

  • Personal protection and travel security for high-profile executives of faith-based organizations traveling in high-risk environments

  • Security management for conferences and events throughout the world

  • Coordination of disaster and emergency response by faith-based agencies

  • A commitment to the work and ministry of faith-based organizations founded in our personal faith commitments

  • A desire to work in ongoing ministry partnership and relationship, and not simply in a client-provider role

  • Years of proven accomplishment in the security and crisis management arenas, and hands-on expertise in applying that knowledge and expertise in the missions and faith-based environments

What sets CCI apart is our staff, and what distinguishes our staff is:

  • A commitment to the work and ministry of faith-based organizations founded in our personal faith commitments

  • A desire to work in ongoing ministry partnership and relationship, and not simply in a client-provider role

  • Years of proven accomplishment in the security and crisis management arenas, and hands-on expertise in applying that knowledge and expertise in the missions and faith-based environments

Testimonials

WHAT PEOPLE SAY

“Very relevant and helpful. Great info. Very well presented. I appreciated the grace-filled and peace-filled way that CCI presented an ‘uncomfortable to think about’ topic (sexual assault).”

“As a leader in our organization, I had no idea where to begin to improve our safety and crisis preparedness. CCI worked with us without judgment of our starting point and truly cares for our international workers! Their trainings are complete and worth your time and resources.”

Chris B.
Organization President
Texas, USA

“If you care about your overseas staff, every organization should send participants to CCI's seminar. If you have no crisis management plans or even some plans, this seminar is for you. After this seminar, our team came away with a better idea of what needs to be done and how to do it. [Referring to Crisis Management Seminar.]”

Karen E.
Organization CEO
Florida, USA