Curriculum Vitae

Gerold Reichenbach

Education

1972: Obtained Abitur (school-leaving certificate giving right of entry to university)
1972 – 1978: Studied German literature and linguistics and social science at the JohannWolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt
1979 – 1980: Teacher training in Rüsselsheim

Professional career

1981 – 1995: academic secondary school teacher in Darmstadt and later Groß-Gerau

Political career

Since 1976: Member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD)
1980 – 1981: Chairman of the Groß-Gerau subdistrict branch of the JUSO (youth section of the SPD)
1981 – 1999: Member of Trebur municipal council (1985 – 1994: chairman of the committee on social affairs, culture and sport)
1984 – 1990: Member of the executive committee of the Groß-Gerau subdistrict branch of the SPD; chairman from 2008-2010
1988-2010: Member of Groß-Gerau county council
1995-2002: directly elected Member of the Land Parliament of Hesse; member of the Committee on Agriculture and the Environment and of the Committee on Economics and Transport
Spokesman on housing and urban development of the SPD parliamentary group in the Land Parliament of Hesse
1998/99 and 2001-2015: Member of the executive committee of the Hesse Southdistrict branch of the SPD

2002-2017: elected Member of the German Bundestag
2002 – 2013 Member of the Committee on Internal Affairs and of the Subcommittee on Civic Activities
2014-2017 Member of the Committee on Internal Affairs and member and substitute chairman of the Committee on Digital Agenda; SPD rapporteur for civil protection and disaster management, data security and data protection on the Committee on Internal Affairs; SPD rapporteur for IT security, data security and data protection on the Committee Digital Agenda; Member of the advisory board of the foundation for data protection

Honorary commitments

1974 – 1980: Youth welfare volunteer, Groß-Gerau county
1989 – 1995: Honorary judge at Darmstadt Regional Court
Since 1976: Volunteer helper for the Federal Agency for Technical and Disaster Relief (THW)
1998 - 2018 President of the Hess branch of the THW association
1999- 2018 Member of the federal board of the THW association
2015-2017: member of the advisory board of the “Marktwächter Digitale Welt” of the Federation of German Consumer Organizations (vzbv e.V.)

Participation in national and international disaster relief missions

1991 and 1999: Urban search and rescue missions in Costa Rica and Turkey (earthquakes)
1992: Emergency food aid in Russia
1994, during Bosnian war (Mostar): Assessment and fact finding mission
1995: Urban search and rescue mission for missing people after the collapse of the “Red Tower” in Jena
1997: Member of the operational command and control post during the River Oder flood disaster on the German-Polish border
1999: Deputy head of mission for the Humanitarian THW Aid for Refugees during the war in Kosovo
2000: Assessment and fact finding mission during flood disaster in Mozambique
2002: Member of a operational command and control post during the River Elbe flood disaster
2002: Member of a operational command and control post during the River Elbe flood disaster
2021: Member of a emergency management team during the flood disaster in the Ahrtal

Experience in disaster management (selection)

Has held several positions in the Federal Agency for Technical and Disaster Relief (THW)
Member (currently inactive) of the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination standby team (UNDAC)
Member of the Groß-Gerau county disaster management board
THW liaison officer
Member of the THW special unit SEEBA (Rapid Deployment Unit Urban Search and Rescue)

Membership of associations

Building, Agricultural and Environmental Workers’ Union (IG Bau) Further civic engagement
Trebur society for home and history
Friends of Nature
Groß-Gerau and Rüsselsheim branch of the THW association
Geinsheim volunteer fire brigade
National Association for Workers' Welfare (AWO)
D64 – Centre for digital Progres

Honors

2004 Medal of Honor of the Federal Agency for Technical Relief in Gold
2009 Silver Disaster Protection Merit Medal of the State of Hesse
2010 Decoration of Honor of the German Red Cross
2011 Gold Medal from the THW Federal Association
2016 Cross of Merit on Ribbon of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
2017 German Fire Brigade Cross of Honor in silver
2018 Golden Disaster Protection Medal of the State of Hesse
2020 Honorary Chairman of the THW Landesvereinigung Hessen
2023 Medal of the THW President
2023 Medal of Honor of the German Fire Brigade Association