Executive Master's in Emergency & Disaster Management
Hannah Vick

For more than a decade, Hannah Vick has led External Affairs teams during response and recovery field operations for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), specializing in public information and external stakeholder outreach. She currently serves as the Senior Policy Advisory for FEMA’s Office of External Affairs and is responsible for coordinating the Agency’s incident communications strategy under Emergency Support Function (ESF) 15. Hannah’s extensive experience includes more than 50 field deployments, National Special Security Events, and National Level Exercises. During deployments, Hannah has led interagency teams of federal communicators to establish and maintain effective working relationships with federal and state agencies, the media, community leaders, the private sector, non-governmental and non-profit organizations, political leaders, Congressional members, military components, academia, and the public. In 2012, she led the federal Joint Information Center in New York City after Hurricane Sandy and most recently, led the ESF-15 External Affairs operation in North Carolina after Hurricane Matthew. From 2012-2016, Hannah was a part of FEMA’s National Incident Management Team – East, where she served as an External Affairs Advisor for complex events such as the Flint, Michigan water crisis at the Department of Health & Human Services Secretary’s Operation Center in 2016, the 2015 Papal Visit to Washington, DC, and the Ebola Virus Disease operation at FEMA HQ in 2014. During this time, she also developed and taught dozens of training courses on stakeholder engagement, media relations, strategic messaging, and public information and warning. In 2009, Hannah earned a graduate certificate from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill in Community Preparedness and Disaster Management. In 2011, she earned her Master’s degree in Emergency & Disaster Management from American Public University. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Fire & Emergency Management Administration at Oklahoma State University – Stillwater. Her primary research interests are damage assessments, federal disaster declarations, media coverage during disasters, risk communication, and the history of US emergency management.