Dr Jose Francisco Molina Garcia Plaza
Sr. Director Disaster recovery and Business Continuity, Carnegie Mellon University, United States, Affiliate
Francisco Molina is the Senior Director of Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity (including Emergency Preparedness and Response) at Carnegie Mellon University. He plays a key role within the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) organization. His mission is to provide strategic guidance, essential tools, and robust governance that align with the university’s mission and risk tolerance. This ensures that critical services can persist even in the face of disasters or significant business disruptions.
Before his tenure at CMU, Molina worked in the financial and industrial sectors in the U.S. and Mexico for international organizations such as AEGON/Transamerica in the U.S., The National Bank of Mexico (Banamex), 3M, and General Electric in Mexico City. His expertise lies in implementing, maturing, and managing risk, resilience, and operational and technology corporate programs.
Molina’s academic journey includes a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Universidad del Valle de Mexico, a Master of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University, and a Ph.D. in Information Sciences from Nova Southeastern University in Florida. He is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), a Certified Organizational Resilience Executive, and an alumnus of the Carnegie Mellon University—Chief Risk Officer program.
Molina has also served as an adjunct faculty member at Norwich University, where he contributed to the Master of Science in Business Continuity program. Additionally, he has held positions on the Board of Directors of Safeguard Iowa Partnership and served as Vice President of the Business Resiliency Professionals of Wisconsin. Molina was also a founding member of the Wisconsin Business Emergency Management public-private partnership. Molina is a member of the American Society of Military (SAME) Engineers, The Project Management Institute (PMI), FBI-Infragard, and an Affiliated member of the Business Continuity Institute (BSI).
Outside his professional activities, Molina volunteers with the Civil Air Patrol, where he has served as a field staff officer with specialty qualifications in Air Crews, Emergency Services, Public Affairs, and Information Technology. Additionally, he is a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. His leadership experience includes serving as the Flotilla Commander of the Two Pittsburgh Flotilla and its USCG Auxiliary University program. Molina is also a certified interpreter with the Interpreters Corps.