Episode 103: The Future of HBCUs and Their Emergency Management Programs This episode is brought to you by Fusion Risk Management, Building a More Resilient World Together. Request a demo at https://bit.ly/FusionDECODED today! Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) faced a series of bomb threats in February this year. Though no physical harm has come from them, the ever present threat and psychological trauma from these events has shaken HBCUs across the country… but they’re still standing strong. In this episode, President Kimberly Ballard-Washington of Savannah State University joins us to share her perspective on the matter, as well as insights into the homeland security and emergency management program at SSU (of which Vanessa was the first female graduate!). Kimberly Ballard-Washington, J.D., is the president of Savannah State University in Georgia. She has practiced law in the state of Georgia for 20 years and, prior to becoming president of SSU, most recently served the University System of Georgia (USG) as associate vice chancellor for legal lffairs and as the assistant secretary to the board of regents. To date, Ballard-Washington is the only person to have led all three of Georgia’s public Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Savannah State University Website - https://savannahstate.edu/ Homeland Security Program at SSU - security.shtml">https://www.savannahstate.edu/class/departments/political-science/homeland-security.shtml Sign up for our Four Corners newsletter for opportunities to connect, access to exclusive content and bonus interviews, and more - https://bit.ly/BRDFourCorners In this episode, you will learn: How she became the first person to lead all three public HBCUs in Georgia How SSU is approaching bomb threats to HBCUs from both emergency preparedness and campus morale perspectives The vulnerable conversations around HBCUs being targeted How the Emergency Management program at SSU is shifting The input emergency management programs need from professionals in the industry at all levels to help these programs improve Disaster Recovery Journal: Register for DRJ’s weekly (Wednesday) webinar series: https://drj.com/webinars/up-coming/ Register for DRJ Fall 2022: The Evolution of Resilience: https://www.drj.com/fall2022 Asfalis Advisors: Visit our website here: https://www.asfalisadvisors.com Apply to be a guest on the podcast: https://www.asfalisadvisors.com/decoded/ Download the 5 Step Crisis Strategy: https://www.asfalisadvisors.com/services/ Connect with the podcast! Email us: podcast@drj.com Podcast website: https://drj.com/decoded/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BRDecoded LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/business-resilience-decoded/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNEIrqWlxuyDvkXB24h6Obw/videos Vanessa Mathews, host Vanessa Mathews is the founder and chief resilience officer of Asfalis Advisors, where they are focused on protecting the legacy of the leaders they serve through business resilience. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Mathews developed global crisis management and business continuity programs for government and private sector organizations to include Lowe’s Companies, Gulfstream Aerospace, and the Department of Homeland Security. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-vaughn-mathews-mba-cbcp-70916b4b/ Book Mathews as a speaker: https://bit.ly/VanessaMathews Jon Seals, producer Jon Seals is the editor in chief at Disaster Recovery Journal, the leading magazine/event in business continuity. Seals is an award-winning journalist with a background in publication design, business media, content management, sports journalism, social media, and podcasting. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonseals/ Disaster Recovery Journal: https://drj.com/