I am the FEMA Sr. Hazard Mitigation Specialist for Washington State. Previously, I developed Benefit Cost Analyses for state hazard mitigation officers and their constituents to win federal hazard mitigation grants as a contractor. I led a large team to complete approximately 300 Benefit Cost Analyses for Virginia Department of Emergency Management, Georgia Emergency Management Agency, Nebraska Emergency Management Agency, and Puerto Rico’s Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction and Resiliency. Approximately $150 M of these BCAs have passed FEMA review. I completed my Master’s at University of Rhode Island with a focus on climate change and extreme weather preparation.

Previously, I guided Bay County Florida’s traffic engineering department through FEMA’s disaster recovery process and the City of Parker through the HUD CDBG-DR process as both entities rebuilt from Category 5 Hurricane Michael. I submitted $2.6 M in public assistance grants to rebuild 13 miles of fiber optic cables, 12,000 street signs and hundreds of street lights/traffic signals using GIS. FEMA obligated all $2.6 M. I also submitted 11 HMGP applications and conducted FEMA Benefit Cost Analyses for each (BCA’s totaling $80 M). Before working in Bay County, I helped Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency process FEMA PA applications for eight presidential disasters. I was in charge of the Benefit Cost Analysis for a $16 M road elevation and pumping project in the the Florida Keys for a BRIC and HMGP application.

My third peer reviewed publication titled, “Developing Consequence Thresholds for Storm Models through Participatory Processes: Case Study of Westerly Rhode Island” was completed to make hurricane models more relevant to Facility Managers and Emergency Managers and in turn, promote resiliency actions. While pursuing my masters degree, I analyzed all publicly available seaport climate change vulnerability assessments and used that knowledge to lead a climate vulnerability identification exercise with the United Nations and US Army Corps of Engineers.

I received a B.A. in biology from St. Mary’s College of Maryland in 2015 where I researched the effectiveness of in-situ larvae setting and built dozens of oyster reefs while working for the St. Mary’s River Watershed Association. After graduating from college I lived in a neighborhood that consistently flooded, which turned me towards coastal resilience and disaster recovery.