The Communications Academy is open to anyone with an interest in emergency communications, volunteer or professional. The presentations are designed to promote the development of knowledgeable, skilled emergency communicators who will support their local communities during a disaster or emergency response.

The Saturday 2008 keynote speaker is Rich Tokarzewski, King County Emergency Management Coordinator. Topic: Cultural and langauge barriers in teaching the Incident Command System.

The Saturday 2008 lunch speaker is Charles Simonyi, ham radio operator and astronaut on the International Space Station.

The Sunday 2008 keynote speaker is Dennis Dura, K2DCD, ARRL Emergency Preparedness and Response Manager