Education:
-Ph.D. in Public Safety & Emergency Management, Capella University.
-M.S.W. in Social Work (Community Organization and International Disaster Relief Services), University of Connecticut.
-B.S.W. in Social Work, Elms College.


Biography:
Dr. Jennifer Carlson, Ph.D., CEM®, LCSW, is a New England emergency management expert, facilitator, speaker, trainer, professor, writing professional, and author of journal articles and the book Exploring the Professionalization of Emergency [Disaster] Management and Write Your Story: A Self-Start, Write Your Own Biography. For over 20 years, she had dedicated her life in service to the emergency management field, deploying to disasters from Hurricane Katrina to the Boston Marathon bombing through the American Red Cross and the State of Massachusetts. She works/has worked as faculty and teaching staff for emergency management courses, workshops, and Homeland Security content at MIT for FEMA, the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Eastern Kentucky University, Anna Maria College, and at other locations across the country while deployed.
Dr. Carlson holds the Certified Emergency Manager (CEM®) certification with the International Association of Emergency Managers IAEM (since 2011) and is Licensed as a Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) for the State of Massachusetts. With deployments spanning more than two decades, Dr. Carlson has been working as a leader in her field in coordination with FEMA, American Red Cross Disaster Services, and other organizations for many years. Dr. Carlson led 25 American responders while deployed in an executive leadership role to wildfires in British Columbia and has worked in the role of Director of Emergency Services in Massachusetts for more than 15 years; this work led to an appointment as the Senior Disaster Program Manager for the State of Massachusetts. Dr. Carlson also worked for the Commonwealth for over five years, helping to coordinate the response to the Western MA tornadoes with FEMA, and the Massachusetts response to Hurricane Sandy in New York as one of two planning chiefs on-scene, among other responsibilities and deployments during this time.
As faculty, while working full-time as a Director (and in other leadership roles), Dr. Carlson has filled the role of Visiting Professor with the Massachusetts Maritime Academy (course: Information Technology in Emergency Management), Eastern Kentucky University (course: Managing the Nation's Disasters for their Homeland Security program) and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (course: Emergency and Disaster Management). Dr. Carlson has trained/facilitated for FEMA (course: Continuity of Operations Planning) and American Red Cross Disaster Services (courses: International Humanitarian Law, all train-the-trainer programs, and all advanced and introductory Disaster Services courses to 2019). Dr. Carlson began teaching policy courses with Anna Maria College in February of 2021 and joined the faculty team full-time in August of the same year, teaching research and other courses (listed below). Dr. Carlson believes passionately in the scholar-practitioner model (both facilitating and working in the field concurrently) to provide students with a current and meaningful educational experience. Jennifer continues to work to improve the field through board and committee work with the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), the writing of books/articles, and reviewing articles for the Journal of Emergency Management. Specifically, Jennifer serves as IAEM's Co-Chair for the Higher Education Academician Caucus. Jennifer also serves as the Affairs Director for the Department of Defense/ESGR in Massachusetts.
Dr. Carlson was born and raised in Massachusetts. She lived for four years on Cape Cod National Seashore, working as a Director of Emergency Services, and she was responsible for coordinating disaster management on Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket for the American Red Cross. Dr. Carlson continues to work with Nantucket Island on projects, showcasing her book at author events and has facilitated the PBS special titled "Decoding the Weather Machine.”

Courses Taught at Anna Maria College:

709 Graduate Seminar Project / Capstone Research
655 Health Informatics
646 Building Sustainable Coalitions
634 Public Health Hazards
619 Health Emergency Management Systems
616 Health Emergency Management Operations
601 Clinical Foundations in Health Emergency Management
491 Action Research Project – Emergency Management
351 Disaster Planning
310 Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Emergency Management
307 Applications for Emergency Management Research
301 Emergency Planning

Previously Taught:
604 Integrated Seminar
601 Advanced Policy and Practice
504 Growth and Behavior in the Social Environment
503 Social Welfare Policy
401 Social Work Research

Research Interests:

Professionalizing the field of Emergency Management; moving from certification to higher levels of professionalization (such as other professions, cataloged by the Sociology of Professions). Advancements in professionalization (specific to emergency management): licensure, education/institutional growth, and areas relating to increasing the levels of professional competence for those participating in the field.

Selected Publications and Writings:

Carlson, J. (2024). Finalizing emergency management professionalization in 2024. Journal of Emergency Management, 22(3), 225-34.

Carlson-Ostroff, J., Ostrander, J. (2024). Social Work and Emergency Management: Climate Change, Disasters, and Why We Need to Work Together More Now Than Ever. J of Pol Practice & Research 5, 3–8 (2024).

Carlson, J. (2015). Exploring the professionalization of the emergency management field: A qualitative analysis. (Publication No. ATT 3735146) [Doctoral dissertation, Capella University]. ProQuest Digital Dissertations.

Carlson, J. (2019). Write your story: A self-start, write your own biography. BookBaby.

Carlson-Benoit, J. (2010). Regional sheltering paradigm shift. International Association of Emergency Managers Journal, 27(10), 12-13.

Carlson, J. (2006). On the front lines of disaster relief. Interaction, 18(1), 4-5. Grobman, L. (2006). Weather the storm: Social Workers and the 2005 hurricane season. The New Social Worker, 13(1), 15-17.


Selected Professional Presentations:

Carlson, J. (2024, April 11). On professionalization [Professional presentation.] International Association of Emergency Managers Higher Education Academician Caucus, online (Zoom), United States.

Carlson, J. (2023, July 26). Disaster mental health [Professional presentation]. Continued.com, United States.

Carlson, J. (2023, June 12). Testimony for Resolve H.740 [Professional presentation]. State House, Boston, Massachusetts.

Carlson, J. (2023, June 23). Participatory action research methodology in emergency management [Professional presentation]. Rhode Island Annual Preparedness Conference, Providence, Rhode Island.

Carlson, J. (2022, June 9). Exploring the components needed to further the professionalization of the emergency management field: A qualitative analysis of higher education and training [Professional presentation]. FEMA's Higher Education Symposium, Emmitsburg, Maryland.

Carlson, J. (2021, April 20). Decoding the weather machine - A PBS special film discussion on Nantucket [Professional presentation]. Nantucket Athenium via Zoom during the pandemic, Nantucket, Massachusetts.

Carlson, J. (2021, June 1). Write your story author event [Professional presentation]. Barnes and Noble, Holyoke, Massachusetts.

Carlson, J. (2016, October). Exploring the professionalization of the emergency management field - A qualitative study in review [Professional presentation]. International Association of Emergency Managers Conference, Savannah, Georgia.

Memberships/Appointments/Affiliations:

International Association of Emergency Managers
-Co-Chair, Higher Education Academician Caucus. Lead, Professionalization Subgroup.
-CEM® (Certified Emergency Manager)
-Member in good standing

ESGR/Department of Defense
-Affairs Director for Massachusetts

Journal of Emergency Management
-Article Reviewer

State of Massachusetts, National Association of Social Workers
-LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker)
-Field concentration in thanatology/grief and loss
-Member in good standing