Brenda D. Phillips, PhD, is associate dean and professor of sociology at Ohio University in Chillicothe (OU-C). She is the author of multiple books on emergency management and is co-editor of Social Vulnerability to Disasters and Women and Disasters: From Theory to Practice. She received the Blanchard Award for excellence in emergency management education and the Myers Award for work on the effects of disasters on women. She was also inducted into the International Women‘s Hall of Fame for Emergency Management and Homeland Security in 2013. Her research has been published in several journals and she has been invited to teach, consult, or lecture in New Zealand, Australia, Germany, India, Costa Rica, Mexico, Canada, and China. She recently led efforts to reopen the OU-C Emergency Response Training Center for widespread and affordable local use by emergency responders.