EM.FSU.EDU - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Deputy Director
- Deputy Director / Associate Teaching Professor
- Deputy Director of the Emergency Management and Homeland Security Program at Florida State University
Brad Skillman is Deputy Director of the Emergency Management and Homeland Security Program at Florida State University. He has a bachelor's degree in Political Science from Eckerd College and a master's degree in International Affairs from Florida State University. He is involved in the teaching of the Introduction to Terrorism, Public Health, and Homeland Security courses. Mr. Skillman's research interests are focused around the nexus between conflicts, terrorism, and peace. He has presented papers on subjects including Social Media and Terrorism and Nihilistic Terrorism at international conferences in Romania and the United Kingdom.
Brad Skillman's interest include using new and creative tools to further student exploration of course materials beyond lectures and simple discussion. These include round-tables for creating peace in Syria, debates structured around contentious course topics, and role-playing exercises to experience counter terrorism in real-time. The push to engage classes in new and creative ways helps to improve the experience for both students and instructors. Students are encouraged to think openly and be challenged by their peers.
Interests
Terrorism, Radicalization, Conflict Creation and Resolution, Public Health Disasters
David Merrick is the Director of the Emergency Management and Homeland Security Program and the Center for Disaster Risk Policy at Florida State University.
Mr. Merrick developed and oversees EMHS's Disaster Incident Research Team, which deploys to disaster impact areas to perform field research on disaster and emergency management. This team has deployed to disasters large and small to assist state and local agencies, perform data collection, and complete research projects.
Mr. Merrick developed EMHS's unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) courses and curriculum. He is part of the team that developed the EMHS/CDRP UAS capability for use in disaster management, and has led teams performing this work in Florida as well as Texas, Haiti, Belize, and Jamaica. The team has deployed to hurricanes including Matthew, Harvey, Irma, Michael, Dorian, Ida, and Ian, as well as other incidents such as missing persons, flooding, the 2018 eruption of Kilauea, and the 2021 Surfside condominium collapse. He spearheaded the creation of multi-discipline UAS teams across the state, including Florida UAS 1 based in Tallahassee.
As part of the applied research group at CDRP, Mr. Merrick has extensive experience in emergency management training and exercises for all levels of government, facilitated plan review and development, and has provided technical assistance on a variety of government and private sector EM projects.
Outside of emergency management, he has over 15 years of application and database development experience on a variety of platforms. He is well versed in agile development practices and has overseen the creation and integration of successful software solutions for a range of clients and markets.
Mr. Merrick is married with two children and lives in Tallahassee, Florida. He has a bachelor's degree from Florida State University and a Master's in Humanitarian Relief and Disaster Logistics from the Florida Institute of Technology.
Interests
Unmanned Systems in Emergency Management, Remote Sensing in Disasters, Infomation Systems, Social Media in Disasters, Logistics, Disaster Planning
Dr. Carolyn Washington is a visiting faculty member in the Emergency Management and Homeland Security Program where she teaches the "Women, Disasters and Conflict" Course. She holds a Bachelor Degree in History from Bennett College in Greensboro, NC; a Master's Degree in National Security Studies from the Naval Post-graduate School in Monterey, CA; a Master's Degree in Criminal Justice from George Washington University; and a PhD in Global Gender Studies from SUNY Buffalo.
Dr. Washington is a retired Army officer (Colonel) who spent half of her thirty-year career as a Military Police Officer and the other half as a military diplomat assigned to U.S. embassies around the world and representing the U.S. on foreign policy interests with organizations such as NATO, the United Nations, European Union and African Union. Her research focuses on the landmark human rights document-United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security and its integration within NATO militaries. She was also a Visiting Scholar at the London School of Economics Centre for Women, Peace and Security. Dr. Washington's other research interests include women in the military and conflict-related sexual violence.
Judy Nunez holds a BA in Anthropology, an MA in American and Florida Studies, a Graduate Certificate in Public Administration (Emergency Management), and an MPA. In past lives, she has either managed or performed various duties for the Monticello Police Department (crime scene/death investigator/photographer), C.W. Pound Lab (cold cases), assisted with body identification of ValueJet flight 592 disaster, and co-founded the Opera House Stage Company at the Monticello Opera House. She has received several FSU awards, including the Seminole Award (2001), Leadership Award (2002), and the coveted grant-in-aid. She was awarded the Dean's Exemplary Service Award (2019) at Texas A&M where she currently serves as director of recruitment for the College of Geosciences.
Her thesis, "28 January 1980 Tampa Bay: Capricorn v. Blackthorn" has received national recognition by members of the maritime industry, and U.S. Coast Guard and is required reading for all cadets in officer-in-training track at the United States Coast Guard Academy who will take command of a US Coast Guard vessel.
kroberts@em.fsu.edu
850.644.9961
646 Bellamy
Kenyon Roberts is a Media Specialist in the Emergency Management and Homeland Security Program.
Job Titles:
- Program Coordinator
- Researcher
Laura Hart is a Program Coordinator and Researcher in the Emergency Management and Homeland Security Program. She is from Rogers, Arkansas, by way of Pensacola, Florida and holds a B.A. in International Affairs (2015), and an M.P.A. (2017), both from Florida State University.
Within the field of emergency management, Laura is especially interested in the policies surrounding the implementation and utilization of unmanned aircraft systems. She also holds interests within intersectional feminism, rural populations, agricultural policy, and the intersection of sociology and technology, as it relates to public policy. Laura conducts in-team research, and follows legislative affairs. She will begin her doctoral studies in Public Administration & Policy at Florida State University in the fall of 2017.
An alumnus of the EMHS Graduate Certificate Program, Natalie holds a BA in Business Administration and Women Studies from Oregon State University, an MA in Government/Intelligence & Securities from New Mexico State University, and has studied within PhD programs at both University of New Mexico and FSU. Natalie's Master thesis "Understanding Swarms: Weak Ties and the Digital Platform in Political Protests," was published as a book in 2013, with her swarm theory presented at numerous academic conferences, including the International Human Rights conference in Turkey in 2014. For the last decade she has taught Political Science at New Mexico State University and mentored for several of Dr. Janet Dilling's courses. During her prior career, Natalie held certificates and licenses as Certified Insurance Counselor, Registered Securities Representative, and Property, Casualty and Life Insurance. In addition, as insurance agency owner and partner in a CPA/Financial Services company, she received a Businessperson of the Year award in 2008 from her local Chamber of Commerce.
Job Titles:
- Researcher
- Researcher for the Emergency Management and Homeland Security Program at FSU
Rayne Hawkins is a Researcher for the Emergency Management and Homeland Security program at FSU. She is a recent Florida State graduate and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environment and Society. Rayne currently assists the program with gear maintenance, local UAS operations, and remote research.
Before finding the program, Rayne was interested in working to promote local sustainable agriculture and assist in global conservation efforts. Since obtaining her Emergency Management, Application of Unmanned Aircraft Systems, and Part 107 certifications, she now hopes to incorporate the use of UAS in environmental preservation projects. Rayne is especially interested in how endangered species conservation intersects with disaster risk planning.
Mr. Ahmed works as a mentor in both the Introduction to Terrorism course and the Emergency Management Policy and Planning course. He has a B.S. degree from Florida International University c/o 2008 in Mass Communications--Journalism. Mr. Ahmed has his M.S. from Florida State University c/o 2010 in International Affairs with an emphasis in Political Science. His training includes both Comparative Politics and Turkish Politics courses from Koch University in Istanbul 2010.
Job Titles:
- Academic Program Specialist
Sierra Perna is an Academic Program Specialist in the Emergency Management and Homeland Security Program at Florida State University. Sierra has a bachelor's degree in International Affairs from FSU along with undergraduate certificates in Emergency Management and Homeland Security, Unmanned Aircraft Systems, and US Intelligence Studies. She also completed a master's degree in Public Administration in the Fall of 2022.
Mrs. Waite received a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and English Literature from Flagler College, and a Master of Science in International Relations and Affairs from Florida State University, where she focused her research on international conflict and resolution. Mrs. Waite completed the Certificate in Emergency Management in 2010 and began serving as Course Mentor for Introduction to Terrorism. Mrs. Waite has a combined 15 years of experience working for three different higher education institutions, including Florida State University, Yale University, and most recently, Texas Christian University. In addition to serving as Lead Mentor for Introduction to Terrorism, she is Associate Director of the Alcon Career Center at TCU's Neeley School of Business in Fort Worth, Texas.
Job Titles:
- Business Manager
- Assistant in
Sue Sullivan (MA) is the Center's Business Manager and has been with the program since 2001. She received her undergraduate and Master's degrees at the University of Lowell in Lowell, Massachusetts. She is responsible for the business functions of the Center, including budgeting, payroll, human resources, purchasing, travel, course building, and issuing EM certificates. She also mentors students as part of EMHS' twice-yearly attendance at the National Emergency Managment Association (NEMA) forums.