Inside the Nation's No. 1 Emergency Management Program

Prepared to Protect

As relentless disasters test communities nationwide, UCF leads the way in shaping strategies and preparing a workforce to keep people safe and systems strong.

“Historic event.” This phrase has appeared more often in the news. Hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, viral outbreaks, cyberattacks, mass shootings — disasters both natural and human-caused are hitting harder and closer to home, reshaping lives and even topography.

While hardly new, catastrophes continue to challenge communities everywhere. In fact, the U.S. has averaged more than 10 major disaster events every year for the past decade, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information’s 2024 billion-dollar disaster analysis.

When Hurricane Helene — one of the deadliest and most destructive hurricanes to hit the continental U.S. since Hurricane Katrina — swept across Florida in September 2024, residents watched as the Category 4 storm made roads disappear beneath rising floodwaters, submerged entire neighborhoods and caused trees to snap like matchsticks. Amid the devastation, first responders and emergency management personnel worked around the clock, coordinating rescues, directing resources and keeping the public informed. Their quick action not only saved lives, but also marked the beginning of a long road to recovery for the hard-hit communities.

Here’s the truth: When people are unprepared, it increases the likelihood of disasters leaving deeper scars — more tragic deaths, more economic damage, more long-term struggles. But with effective emergency management, the worst impacts can be reduced or even prevented altogether.

Since the dawn of time, people have found ways to prepare for the unexpected, from ancient civilizations stockpiling food in case there’s a drought to cities building flood defenses. Emergency management aims to establish safe and resilient communities that can effectively cope with hazards and disasters. And today, UCF is at the forefront of the field.

Home to the nation’s No. 1 emergency and crisis management graduate program (U.S. News & World Report), UCF is where students and faculty are shaping the strategies that protect lives and strengthening the systems that prepare communities for whatever comes next.

When Disaster Strikes

During the devastating tragedy that was Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the coasts of Louisiana and Mississippi were slammed with a storm surge that covered rooftops and erased entire communities from the map.

“Think about everything just being wiped off the face of the Earth,” says Chris Emrich, Boardman Endowed Professor of Environmental Science and Public Administration in the School of Public Administration. “[That area] was one place where I could go and study pure hurricane impacts. And what I came to understand is that disasters are local. The decisions we make as a society really matter in how we’re able to prepare for, respond to and rebound from them.”

Those decisions are only getting more complicated. Longer droughts are colliding with intense rainfalls. Intersections that never used to flood are now drowning in stormwater. Coastal cities are caught between sea-level rise and booming populations, while inland towns are facing storms that rarely make national headlines.

“Place matters when it comes to disaster,” Emrich says.

Florida, for example, has finite land, finite water and a rapidly growing population. That tension between economic growth, ecological balance and community safety creates what he calls “tricky problems.” And tricky problems require more than one kind of expert.

Portrait of Chris Emrich, UCF's Boardman Endowed Professor of Environmental Science and Public Administration

The decisions we make as a society really matter in how we’re able to prepare for, respond to and rebound from [disasters].”

— Chris Emrich, Boardman Endowed Professor of Environmental Science and Public Administration

That’s why Emrich works alongside experts across biology, engineering, economics and political science at UCF to tackle challenges from hurricanes and flooding to red tide and coastal economics. As a faculty member involved with UCF Coastal — part of the university’s interdisciplinary Faculty Research Clusters Initiative — he helps coordinate collaborations among 25 to 30 faculty members across nearly every college. The goal: create solutions, tools and technologies that help communities adapt and thrive.

One example is HazardAware, a UCF-developed hazard-readiness online tool that helps people determine how prepared their home, or a potential future home, is for the next big storm. Emrich served as principal investigator on the research that powers it.

With coverage for 13.3 million addresses across 196 counties along the Gulf of America (also known as the Gulf of Mexico), the tool is designed for one of the nation’s most hurricane-prone regions. Type in a home address, and within seconds HazardAware generates a personalized HazardReady score, showing how resilient the property is, what hazards it faces and estimated annual risk costs.

“In my career, I found that turning tools and technologies into better decision-support measures for people moves the needle the most,” Emrich says. “We’re able to take our skill sets and attack challenges from different perspectives. This engages students in … different ways to find solutions.”

And that’s exactly the point. The same innovations that help communities prepare for and respond to disasters also shape the next generation of leaders in the field. At UCF, hands-on experiences paired with world-class instruction are readying future emergency management specialists.

Equipping Essential Personnel

From hurricanes to wildfires to mass casualty incidents, the need for effective emergency management professionals has never been greater. More trained, compassionate and highly trained workers are needed to protect the safety and well-being of people locally, nationally and globally.

When some of the country’s largest employers need top emergency management talent, they look to UCF.

In 2003, an emergency management minor and graduate certificate were created by Naim Kapucu, Pegasus Professor of Public Administration and Policy and associate dean of research for the College of Community Innovation and Education, in the aftermath of 9/11. These later grew into Florida’s first undergraduate degree in emergency management.

In 2010, Environmental and Emergency Management Professor Claire Connolly Knox joined UCF, bringing a mission to expand the program’s reach and impact.

“… Within the first couple of years of the minor and graduate certificate, they were the most populated offerings in [the School of Public Administration]. So it just made sense … to expand both,” Knox says, reflecting on the growth of what are now UCF’s undergraduate and graduate degrees in emergency management.

Through the bachelor’s program, students gain the knowledge and practical experience needed to tackle today’s complex emergency management challenges, learning through a curriculum that blends academics with real-world training. Courses cover all phases of emergency management — mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery — while emphasizing ethical decision-making, resilience and social responsibility. This strong academic foundation has helped nearly 200 UCF students earn undergraduate degrees in emergency management since Fall 2018.

Under Knox’s leadership, expansion continued, including the launch of UCF Online’s emergency and crisis management graduate program in 2018, which has ranked No. 1 nationally for three consecutive years (U.S. News & World Report). The program serves 108 students as of the Spring 2026 semester.

With advanced education and training, graduate students apply their expertise to manage disaster preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation, strengthening community readiness and helping restore stability.

Portrait of Claire Connolly Knox, UCF's Founding Director of the Master in Emergency and Crisis Management Program

“Our faculty are active researchers with funding from federal, state and local agencies. They’re bringing innovative, cutting-edge, community-based research into the classroom and engaging interested students in the research process.”

— Claire Connolly Knox, Founding Director of the Master in Emergency and Crisis Management Program

Learning extends beyond textbooks, with faculty who bring years of field experience and research clusters that enhance resilience and disaster preparedness.

“We are some of the most cited and published faculty housed within an emergency management program in the nation,” Knox says. “Our faculty are active researchers who obtained $12 million in federal grants and $6.3 million in local and state contracts in the last five years. They’re bringing innovative, cutting-edge, community-based research into the classroom and engaging interested students in the research process.”

Partnerships with local government agencies provide students with applied experience through internships and training exercises in live Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs). For example, the Seminole County Office of Emergency Management opens its EOC to students multiple times each semester, allowing them to work with software and equipment while applying classroom knowledge in high-pressure, real-world scenarios.

Graduates leave UCF ready to step into roles in crisis and disaster preparedness and response across government, healthcare, military, education, nonprofits and private organizations like banks and theme parks.

“When you ask what sets UCF apart, I always point to our people,” says Knox, founding director of the emergency and crisis management master’s program. “We have researchers [advancing the field], faculty [with] real-world experience, an advisory board that keeps us connected to industry and a mentorship program where experts in the field guide our students. On top of that, every student is required to complete an internship. Many of our students are graduating with their degree and a job in hand.”

Ready to Respond

UCF graduates are proving that emergency management is more than a profession — it’s a calling. And with each new class of Knights, communities across Florida, and beyond, can face the next disaster with confidence, resilience and hope. The following emergency management alumni are among the many Knights making a difference in the field.

Brett Napier ’21 ’23MECM

Operations and Extreme Weather Manager for the City of Boston

B.S. in Emergency Management

MECM in Emergency and Crisis Management

Growing up in Sarasota, Florida, Brett Napier ’21 ’23MECM was no stranger to the anxiety of hurricane season.

What he didn’t know back then was that those annual brushes with disaster would eventually shape his career.

At first, Napier thought his path would be in business.

“I started at UCF planning to go into marketing,” he says. “But I didn’t feel any passion for the work.”

A casual conversation with a friend at the Recreation and Wellness Center changed everything.

“My friend was in the emergency management bachelor’s program and he told me about it. I did some research and immediately thought, ‘[This] fits who I am as a person,’ ” he says.

That decision set him on a new course — one grounded in public service and fueled by curiosity about how communities prepare for, respond to, recover from and mitigate disaster.

Napier first pursued his bachelor’s degree in emergency management, then went on to UCF’s nationally ranked master’s program in emergency and crisis management.

“By the end of my undergrad, I felt like I was only scratching the surface,” he says. “I knew Dr. Knox was leading the master’s program, and I had a fantastic experience in one of her classes, so it was an ideal fit for me.”

What stood out to him most was how closely the program was connected to the real world.

“The level of exposure to real scenarios is [unmatched],” he says. “[From] professors who’ve worked in the field or spent decades studying public administration and emergency management to guest speakers who hold positions of power [across] public, private or nonprofit sectors, you’re learning directly from the people shaping the profession.”

A required internship helped Napier find his professional footing. For nearly five months, he worked with Volusia County Emergency Management, focusing on mitigation projects and helping refine comprehensive emergency management plans.

While completing his master’s, he accepted a position in Sarasota County’s solid waste department as a disaster recovery coordinator. There, he managed debris operations and coordinated debris management site approvals — skills that became critical during the response to Hurricane Ian in 2022.

Through the MECM Mentorship Program, Knox helped open the door to Napier’s current role as operations and extreme weather manager in the City of Boston’s Office of Emergency Management. The shift from Florida’s hurricane-heavy workload to Boston’s public safety priorities was eye-opening.

“In Florida, you’re working hurricanes year-round. In Boston, we’re less prone to severe weather and more focused on man-made disasters or [public safety] threats,” he says.

Still, the goal is the same: protecting communities. One of the projects Napier’s most proud of is expanding Boston’s flood sensor network.

“We already had sensors along the coast, but we needed more coverage inland. That data will help us be more proactive and respond faster, especially because so many people here live in basement units that are vulnerable to flooding,” he says.

The emergency management field is constantly evolving — and so is Napier’s role in it. He’s currently pursuing a master’s in city planning at Boston ��ֱ��, drawn to the field’s intersection with emergency management. City planners make long-term decisions about where and how communities grow, directly influencing how exposed vulnerable people and infrastructure are to hazards. For instance, thoughtful planning can avoid development in floodplains, wildfire-prone areas or coastal zones, reducing the risk before disasters even occur.

No matter where his career takes him, Napier says his mission is to make a tangible difference in the lives of others and to pay it forward.

“I hope to lift others up, whether that’s just helping the communities I serve or improving the processes that go into serving them, and then helping those who are looking to work in public service find their niche so they can also make a positive impact,” he says.

Michele Jones ’11 ’14MPA

Manager of the Enterprise Center of Excellence at IEM

B.S. in Public Administration

MPA in Public Administration

Graduate Certificate in Emergency Management and Homeland Security

Florida native Michele Jones ’11 ’14MPA knew hurricanes and unruly weather were a fact of life. But a different kind of disaster left a lasting impression: 9/11.

“I was in eighth grade when that happened, and it was definitely one of those life-altering tragedies,” she says. “I’m at school and everyone’s crying, and there didn’t really seem to be a plan or much communication.”

That moment planted the seed for what would become a lifelong dedication to public service and emergency management.

When Jones first arrived at UCF, she considered studying computer science, but her interest in public service never faded. A case study on the 9/11 attacks introduced her to the critical role of communication, coordination and emergency response. It inspired her to switch her focus to public administration, with a minor in emergency management and homeland security, showing her how effective communication can make all the difference in saving lives.

During her time at UCF, Jones explored homelessness in Florida, examining its root causes and potential solutions to support people in transitional situations. This experience, she says, gave her the chance to practice problem-solving on a community scale.

“UCF provided me with [a foundation] to understand how to collaborate with partners, along with helping me understand the mechanics and operational sides of emergency management,” Jones says.

An internship with the Seminole County Fire Department also gave her firsthand exposure to local operations, from grant programs to emergency planning processes. After graduation, she took her skills to the American Red Cross, working directly with communities, partners and volunteers. From there, she joined Brevard County Emergency Management, where she played a key role during hurricanes Matthew and Irma.

“We experienced cascading impacts — [everything from] loss of water to sewage backups. But the key lesson was the power of strong partnerships with our communities,” she says. “We had all our coastal cities and internal cities on the phone … and twice a day we would call them as the storms passed. You can’t build trust in the middle of a disaster. It has to be established throughout the year.”

Jones’ career has since taken her to IEM, a consulting firm for emergency management, where she manages its Center of Excellence and helps teams develop procedures and processes to support communities nationwide.

“What keeps me inspired is the ability to problem-solve with emergency management and see the tangible impact we make on communities to help them recover stronger,” she says.

She emphasizes that emergency management isn’t just about reacting to disasters. It’s about long-term planning and resilience.

“The cycle of emergency management — response, preparedness, planning and mitigation — happens simultaneously. If there’s a flood, that’s an incident that could potentially impact, for example, a fire station. We will then have to mitigate that in the future. So we must start planning mitigation activities from that moment,” she says.

Through it all, mentorship remains central to Jones’ mission. Inspired by the guidance she received from UCF faculty like Knox and other industry mentors, she’s dedicated to helping cultivate the field’s future workforce.

“It’s incredibly important to continue building up the next generation of emergency managers,” she says. “Our communities deserve strong emergency managers who can help them through some of the most challenging phases of their lives.”

Whether responding to an emergency, coordinating across agencies or mentoring future leaders, Jones embodies the impact and reach of UCF’s emergency management programs — ones that transform students’ curiosity into skills, and skills into service.

Crisis Calls. They Answer.

The following alumni also gained valuable experience through UCF’s emergency management programs before joining major companies, applying their expertise to enhance emergency response and resilience.

Ava Hanner ’21MECM, Public Information Officer for New Smyrna Beach Government

Stephanie Hendrix ’13 ’24MECM, Emergency Management Operations Manager for Pinellas County Government

Aldair Hernandez ’23MECM, Resilience Business Partner at Dentsu

Steven Lerner ’13, Division Manager at Seminole County’s Office of Emergency Management

Travis Leslie ’16MS ’25MECM, Master Deputy Sheriff at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office

Misael Lugo ’18 ’20MECM, Emergency Manager at Boeing

Blaze Schoembs ’23, Preparedness Associate at Hagerty Consulting

Juzanne Martin Spring 2025

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