Suzanne M. Blake

sblake@wittassociates.com

Senior Planner and Higher Education Specialist

Wilmington, NC

Suzanne Blake comes to James Lee Witt Associates with over eight years of emergency management experience.  Previously, Suzanne served as the Emergency Manager for the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW).  As the first individual in this position, Suzanne had the opportunity to spearhead a university emergency management program from its inception.  Over her six year tenure at UNCW, she developed and expedited all aspects of the program including mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery activities.  She was responsible for writing emergency plans, conducting and facilitating emergency drills and exercises, organizing crisis communications, fostering relationships with external partners, and responding to actual disasters on campus, including three presidentially-declared hurricane disasters.  Suzanne led initiatives to maintain UNCW’s status as a Disaster Resistant University and to become the 17^th university in the nation and the first in North Carolina to achieve the National Weather Service StormReady University certification.  She also coordinated the development of UNCW’s Hazard Mitigation plan, which became the first FEMA-approved university plan in the state.

Prior to her career at UNCW, Suzanne worked as an emergency management consultant for SRA International in Washington, DC.  While at SRA International, Suzanne worked on post-9/11 projects for the DC government, including its all-hazards emergency response plan, and for federal government entities such as FEMA, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Army Corps of Engineers. 

Passionate about higher education emergency management, Suzanne is a founding member of the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) Universities and Colleges Caucus (UCC), with which she has worked extensively to ensure disaster resistance and resilience is instilled in institutions of higher education worldwide.  Currently, Suzanne serves as a member of the Advisory Panel on this committee.  Additionally, Suzanne was chosen by FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI) to serve as an instructor for the new Multi-Hazard Emergency Planning for Higher Education course.

Suzanne has presented at several emergency management conferences throughout the U.S. and has attended many emergency management training courses, including specialized hurricane training at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida.  She is also certified in the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) and has received extensive training in the National Incident Command System (NIMS) and the Incident Command System (ICS).  She received her bachelor’s degree in English/Writing from Georgetown University, where she volunteered as an Emergency Medical Technician for the student-run campus EMS organization while pursuing her studies.  She also has a Certificate in Community Preparedness and Disaster Management from the UNC Chapel Hill School of Public Health and a Masters degree in Coastal Environmental Management from Duke University.