Speakers

As the Executive Director for the Orleans Parish Communication District (OPCD) Karl is responsible for all activities at OPCD. OPCD provides the Emergency Communications Center for Orleans Parish, Louisiana, USA (nee the City of New Orleans). OPCD answers more than 650,000 9-1-1, 3-1-1, and non-emergency calls annually; these calls result in dispatching more than 500,000 incidents per year for police, fire, and EMS responses. Prior to joining OPCD, Karl enjoyed a successful career as a commercial software developer in the financial services sector. In his 20+ year career at OPCD, Karl led the rebuilding of New Orleans; 9-1-1 system following Hurricane Katrina; the design and completion of the current ECC facility; OPCD’s move to a cloud-native 9-1-1 telephony system; and numerous other technology projects. In 2023, as Karl expected to retire from his previous position as Director of Technology, OPCD’s Board of Commissioners asked him to become OPCD's  Interim Executive Director to navigate the agency through a difficult transition period. After several months of Karl’s leadership and crisis management, the OPCD Board then voted to fully install him as Executive Director.