Crisis Lab adds maritime recovery expert James Merten to advisory board

Crisis Lab appointed James Merten to its new Advisory Board on September 8, 2026, tapping the maritime disaster economics specialist to help shape intelligence products and programs. The move adds a port recovery and emergency management voice to the company’s advisory structure as it looks to align offerings with practitioner needs.

Why it matters: - Crisis Lab is adding outside expertise to sharpen its intelligence products and professional development offerings. - James Merten brings maritime disaster economics, port recovery, and emergency management experience that fits Crisis Lab’s audience. - The appointment signals a push to strengthen practitioner relevance and institutional reach.

What happened: - Crisis Lab appointed James Merten to its newly established Advisory Board on September 8, 2026. - Merten will serve as a strategic adviser. - His role includes senior peer review on intelligence products. - His role also includes guidance on programs and products. - Merten will make introductions across his maritime and emergency management network.

The details: - Merten is Founder and Principal of The Merten Group, LLC, a maritime crisis management consulting firm based in Portland, Oregon. - He previously served with the U.S. Coast Guard at Sector Columbia River. - In that role, Merten coordinated Marine Transportation System recovery and port reopening. - He also chaired the Oregon Federal Executive Board's Crisis Continuity Coalition Committee. - Merten is an adjunct professor at Clackamas Community College. - He is completing a PhD in Economics at the University of Antwerp. - His research focuses on the economic effects of marine disasters on ports and supply chains. - Merten developed the Port Recovery Index. - The Port Recovery Index assesses a port's absorptive, restorative, and adaptive capacities after disruption. - The Advisory Board provides independent guidance on program and product development. - The Advisory Board also advises on institutional partnerships and alignment with practitioner needs.

Between the lines: - Crisis Lab is formalizing external review as it expands its intelligence line. - Merten’s background suggests Crisis Lab wants more depth in port resilience and maritime disruption topics. - The advisory board structure points to a more practitioner-driven product strategy.

What's next: - Merten will begin reviewing pre-publication products from the Intelligence by Crisis Lab line. - He will advise on future program and product development within his area of expertise. - He will help connect Crisis Lab with institutional partners and subject matter experts. - Crisis Lab will continue serving more than 57,000 professionals globally through its publications, courses, podcast and newsletter.

The bottom line: - Crisis Lab is betting that specialized maritime and emergency management expertise will make its offerings more useful to practitioners.