(Washington, DC) Today, Friday, May 13, 2016 the District of Columbia City Council confirmed Karima Holmes as Director of the Office of Unified Communications (OUC).  In January 2016, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the appointment of Ms. Holmes as Acting Director pending Council confirmation.

Ms. Holmes brings a wealth of experience as a public servant, having spent her entire career working in the emergency communications field from the front line as a call taker to having served as Managing Director of the Southwest Regional Communications Center- the 911 Call Center for the cities of DeSoto, Duncanville, and Cedar Hill, Texas. She has also held the positions of Sergeant, Quality Assurance Supervisor, Training Coordinator, and Standards Manager at the Augusta 911 Center in Augusta, Georgia.

“I am deeply honored to be able to serve the residents and visitors of the District of Columbia.  I’ve hit the ground running by creating a Professional Standards Division which will ensure that OUC employees receive the training necessary to consistently deliver top notch customer service. Already we have made great strides and I’m excited about the road ahead as we embrace new technology and Next Generation 9-1-1 enhancements.

Ms. Holmes received both her Masters of Public Administration with a focus on the Department of Homeland Security and her Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Augusta State University in Augusta, Georgia. She also holds an Emergency Number Professional (ENP) Certification from the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) and remains an active member there, as well as with the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO).  She is also the District of Columbia’s representative with the National Association of State 911 Administrators (NASNA), and serves as the Vice Chair of the Council of Government’s 911 Directors Subcommittee.