Elizabeth, Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator, MDARD

MDARD's Emergency Management Program is responsible for preparing staff, industry partners and general consumers for emergency or crisis events like floods, animal or plant diseases, foodborne illness outbreaks, or intentional contamination of food products. The program works to ensure that Michigan's agriculture and food supply is safe and secure.

As the Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator, Elizabeth is responsible for the department's emergency planning, preparedness training, and training exercises. She works with programs across the department to build and maintain emergency response capacity.

Elizabeth values the connections her job allows her to make with her co-workers, the food and agriculture industry, other state agencies, and federal partners. For her, emergency management is about effective communication and coordination with others.

The process of planning, training, and exercising for emergencies strengthens relationships and builds confidence. Those relationships and overall preparedness for any emergency helps assure a quick response, which in turn leads to a faster recovery and better outcomes overall for our state.