Confluence News Magazine
Our new news magazine “Confluence” serves as an intersection where we come together to share Center events and activities each month and important information about our all hazard emergency management career pathways. Our video and pod casts will bring together our pathway programs, their faculty, students and employers, and our communities across the state to discuss a variety of issues, interests, trends and discussions about our career pathways.
Washington Disaster Resiliency Work Group
In the 2019 legislative session Insurance Commissioner, Mike Kreidler proposed legislation to help our state prepare for and mitigate climate disasters. The Senate Bill 5106 was signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee and created a workgroup represented by 27 organizations including legislators, state agencies, insurance companies, Tribal leaders, [...]
Japan Insights on Preparedness
By Nancy Aird March 3, 2011, marks the tenth anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake, Tsunami, and Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster. Japan faced this experience with “BOSAI,” a science that can save your life. Nationally this cultural idea of preparedness /resiliency evolved from the EDO period experiences of [...]
Preparedness Workshop
In January, we marked the 321st anniversary of the last full-rip 9.0 Cascadia earthquake. In March, we note the 20th anniversary of the Nisqually earthquake. Even though we live in earthquake country, we aren’t ready for a significant event. Will we ever be? Is getting people to prepare an [...]
Resiliency and Climate Change: Both Go Hand-In-Hand
By Kellie Hale The world is continuing to see an increase in high temperatures, seasonal weather is shifting, with an increasing impact on weather events (e.g., snowstorms, floods, hurricanes, tornados, drought, etc.). The longer we put aside our need for climate change adaptation, the more difficult and expensive it [...]
The Mental and Emotional Toll COVID-19 has Impacted Our Frontline Health Care Workers
By Kellie Hale COVID-19 cases have not gone down, unfortunately, and continues to rise across the nation. Hospitals are continuing to be overwhelmed with patients. Our frontline health care workers are continuing to experience multiple stressors with little relief during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a constant fear amongst [...]
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – Happy Birthday
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would have turned 91 years old this year. Born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. He would grow up to be known for his leadership and contribution during the American civil rights movement in the 1960s. His father and mother brought on Dr. [...]
Looking Back While Looking Forward
By Linda Crerar, Director CoE-HSEM In 1969, I attended Shoreline Community College in Seattle, working on my Associate’s degree and intending to go into a health care profession. I had an opportunity to join a volunteer group at Harborview Medical Center in their Emergency Room, providing social work and [...]
Women in Emergency Management Profile – Brandi Hunter
Brandi Hunter knows that when you’re young, an impatience for too much talk and a preference for taking action can get you into more trouble than you expected. It certainly can make the people around you wonder, as you do yourself, where you’ll end up. But take those traits [...]
20 Reasons Why We’re Proud of 2020
Confluence serves as an intersection where we share events, interests, and important information about our Center and the state’s all-hazard emergency management pathway programs.
Interview with Elyzabeth Estrada
For this month’s Confluence, we wanted to highlight tribal emergency managers. Our Education & Outreach Coordinator, Brandi Hunter, recommended we highlight Elyzabeth Estrada. Brandi said, “I met Elyzabeth on LinkedIn. She had joined Aspiring Emergency Managers Online and introduced herself to me, and said she would like to help [...]
Building Cultures of Preparedness With Tribes
Building Cultures of Preparedness With Tribes – An Overview In 1999, Governor Gary Locke and Attorney General Christine Gregoire joined tribal chairs from throughout the state in signing an “Agreement to Institutionalize the Government-to-Government Relationship in Preparation for the New Millennium.” This agreement, between the State of Washington [...]
The Importance of Feeding America During COVID-19
Message from our New Advisory Board Member, Vincent Davis - The Importance of Feeding America During COVID-19 “In general, very few people are prepared for any kind of disaster including disability which doesn’t require a hurricane.” – Arthur Ashe As I go about the important work of feeding families [...]
“There is Too Much: Let Me Sum Up” – December 2020
“There is Too Much: Let Me Sum Up” - Emergency Management Once Removed 2020 By Jim Mullen Emergency Management, Once Removed January: “Government’s Trust Deficit: A Possible Antidote” proposed that emergency managers “devise exercises in which the public can participate, to “penetrate the divisive “white noise” that makes essential [...]
CoE-HSEM Honors its Rising Star Awards of 2020
Congratulations to This Year’s Rising Stars! - Brandi Hunter, Toya Moore, and Julie Jefferson Lakewood, WA - The Center of Excellence for Homeland Security Emergency Management (CoE-HSEM) has always been focused on student success, helping people change their lives' trajectory positively and who have demonstrated excellence in their professional [...]
Brandi Hunter – Rising Star 2020
Congratulations to This Year’s Rising Star! - Brandi Hunter Brandi Hunter Educational & Outreach Coordinator Center of Excellence – Homeland Security Emergency Management “Brandi Hunter is a standout star. As a recent graduate of the Homeland Security Emergency Management (HSEM) degree program at Pierce College, Brandi is a person [...]
Toya Moore – Rising Star 2020
Congratulations to This Year’s Rising Star! - Toya Moore Toya Moore, M.Ed., AHI, CHT, RMA, CCMA Director of Allied Health and CMA programs Seattle Colleges “Toya has done incredible work in her role as the Medical Assisting Program Director at Seattle Central College. She successfully transferred the program from [...]
Julie Jefferson – Rising Star 2020
Congratulations to This Year’s Rising Star! - Julie Jefferson Julie Jefferson Communications Director Lummi Indian Business Council Julie Jefferson exemplifies a student that has overcome many obstacles and demonstrated great determination in pursuit of her higher education degrees. With three grown children and five grandchildren, Julie applied to enter [...]
Coe-HSEM Virtual Site Review – 2020
October 29, 2020 - The HSEM Center of Excellence hosted the first-ever “Virtual Site Review” by the State Board for Community and Technical College (SBCTC). Each Center is visited once in a three-year cycle to learn how the Center is currently working to understand and improve the relationship between [...]
Veteran’s Day Special Edition Confluence
With Respect, Honor, and Gratitude: Thank You Veterans For this special edition of Confluence, our Center would like to take a moment to thank and honor the men and women who serve and protect our country. It is important to not take our freedom and safety for granted. [...]
Honoring the Legacy of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Honoring the Legacy of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg By Kellie Hale "I would like to be remembered as someone who used whatever talent she had to do her work to the very best of her ability." — Ruth Bader Ginsburg Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG) was a trailblazer for women’s [...]
Cybersecurity Month: Do Your Part! #BeCyberSmart
By Kellie Hale The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) deemed October as Cybersecurity month to highlight the broad effort to make sure Americans understand how to stay safe and secure in an online environment. This year’s theme is “#BeCyberSmart”, is crucial [...]
“How to Be an Antiracist”- Discussions within our Criminal Justice Programs
“How to Be an Antiracist”, Ibram X. Kendi – Discussions within our Criminal Justice Programs By Mary Weir “Antiracist: One who is supporting an anti-racist policy through their actions or expressing an anti-racist idea.” (Kendi 2019, 13). “An antiracist idea is any idea that suggests the racial groups are [...]
Welcome Brianna Rockenstire!
Welcome Brianna Rockenstire, Director for Center of Excellence Information and Computing Technology (ICT) The Center of Excellence for ICT provides research and reports on industry trends, current and future workforce demand, industry perceptions of the CTC system and its graduates, and emerging technology developments. Additionally, the Center works to [...]
Confluence News Magazine: September Edition (2020)
Confluence serves as an intersection where we share events, interests, and important information about our Center and the state’s all-hazard emergency management pathway programs.