2019 SUMMIT on Academic Continuity and Campus Resiliency
July 11-12, 2019
Gainesville, FL
From FEMA Exercise to Florence’s Reality: Integrating the COOP and
Academic Continuity for Campus Resilience
Dr. Jess Boersma serves as Associate Dean for Student Success, Policy and Undergraduate Scholarship and the Director of Applied Learning at University North Carolina Wilmington. He earned his BS from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and his PhD from Emory University. Dr. Boersma has been the editor of two volumes on literature and society, guest editor for an applied learning journal, and the principal investigator on numerous grants with the AAC&U, CAA, and US government concerning applied learning, regional expertise, culture, and curriculum development. Prior to his academic appointments, he participated in relief missions tied to Hurricanes Cesar and Mitch as a Special Forces Operator. Dr. Boersma led the applied learning portion of the Hurricane Zephyr exercise and oversaw academic policy changes resulting from the effects of Hurricane Florence, which closed UNCW for 4 weeks.
Eric Griffinis the emergency manager for the University of North Carolina Wilmington since 2013. He teaches in the Master’s in Conflict Management and Resolution program at UNCW and in the graduate certificate program at UNC Chapel Hill. Prior to his academic appointments, he served as a firefighter and then a county emergency manager. Eric holds a Master's of Public Administration degree from North Carolina State University and a BA in Political Science from UNCW. He is a certified emergency manager through the International Association of Emergency Managers and an Executive Emergency Manager through the North Carolina Emergency Management Association. Eric conceived and served as Exercise Director for the first UNC System-wide exercise, “Hurricane Zephyr,” and has participated in or coordinated recovery efforts tied to nine presidential disaster declarations.
The Status of Emergency Management in Florida
Mr. Guthrie has vast experience in Public Safety and Emergency Management in the state of Florida. He spent 23 years as a Police Officer and Emergency Preparedness Coordinator with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. He served as the Public Safety and Emergency Management Director for the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners for two years before moving on to Pasco County where he was the Assistant County Administrator for Public Safety. In October 2018, Governor Rick Scott appointed Kevin as Chief of Staff for the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM). In January of 2019, Governor Ron DeSantis appointed him as Deputy Director of FDEM. Kevin’s primary focus as Deputy Director is coordinating efforts among all State agencies, Counties, and Municipalities in dealing with natural and man-made disasters to ensure that all of Florida is prepared for whatever may come in the future.
