# Institute for Crisis Management

> Institute for Crisis Management is a South Bend-based boutique consultancy that helps executives prepare for, communicate through, and learn from organizational crises. Founded in 1990 by Robert Irvine and led since 2014 by Deborah Hileman, the firm combines a proprietary crisis-news database, bespoke planning and simulations, live training, 24/7 response counsel, and a long-running annual report. Its distinguishing bet is that the most damaging crises are often not freak events but ignored management problems that had time to smolder.

- **Founded:** 1990
- **Headquarters:** South Bend, United States
- **Founders:** Robert Irvine, APR (Founder)
- **Products:** Crisis Communication Certification Course, Crisis planning and risk assessment, Simulation exercises, Media and spokesperson training, 24/7 crisis response consulting
- **Notable:** One of the first U.S. consultancies to specialize exclusively in crisis management when founded in 1990., Published an annual crisis report every year since founding, reaching its 36th edition in 2026., Built a proprietary database used to classify and analyze English-language crisis news coverage.

## Products & services

- **Crisis Communication Certification Course** — A live-online, 12-hour program covering vulnerability assessment, stakeholder prioritization, crisis plans, message development, social media, AI-assisted messaging, and post-crisis debriefing. The disclosed 2025 fee was $1,695, with some group and sector discounts.
- **Crisis planning and risk assessment** — Research-led reviews of peer crises, executive concerns, emergency policies, and continuity plans, followed by recommendations and custom crisis communication plans.
- **Simulation exercises** — Case studies, tabletop exercises, incident simulations, and full drills used to expose gaps in plans, roles, processes, and business continuity arrangements.
- **Media and spokesperson training** — Preparation for interviews, press conferences, stakeholder questions, body language, and difficult or no-win scenarios.
- **24/7 crisis response consulting** — On-site or virtual counsel, message strategy, executive coaching, media relations, monitoring, reputation management, and post-event assessment.
- **ICM Annual Crisis Report** — A free annual analysis drawn from ICM's proprietary database of English-language crisis news items, published since the firm's founding.

## Achievements

- One of the first U.S. consultancies to specialize exclusively in crisis management when founded in 1990.
- Published an annual crisis report every year since founding, reaching its 36th edition in 2026.
- Built a proprietary database used to classify and analyze English-language crisis news coverage.
- Trained hundreds of executives and communications practitioners through its flagship certification course.
- Expanded its senior consulting bench in February 2025 with Jenny Barker, Dianne Chase, and Byron Johnson.
- CEO Deborah Hileman was named a Fellow of the Centre for Strategic Communication Excellence in 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Released its 36th Annual Crisis Report, based on 1,232,103 crisis news items from 2025; cybercrime led the tracked categories at 25.44%, and smoldering categories accounted for 65%.
- **2026-03** — Deborah Hileman earned the Certified AI Communication Professional credential from the Centre for Strategic Communication Excellence.
- **2025-06** — Released the 2024 Annual Crisis Report, which counted 1,134,388 stories and found nearly 75% were smoldering crises.
- **2025-02** — Added senior consultants Jenny Barker, Dianne Chase, and Byron Johnson in response to increased demand.

## Links

- Website: https://crisisconsultant.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/institute-for-crisis-management
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/CrisisExperts
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Institute4CrisisManagement/

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Last updated: 2026-09-22