Throughout Black History Month, we are taking time to honor African American FEMA employees who help make our nation safer, stronger and more prepared. Through their service, these colleagues are bringing much-needed energy to help our work align with FEMA’s Strategic Plan and the ideals of our nation.
This week, we asked four employees to share more about their role at FEMA and the work they do to ensure that FEMA is equitable when we help people before, during and after disasters.
LaNita Taylor
Program Analyst
What is your job title and role?
I am a Program Analyst in the Service Management Branch, Grants Technology Division, Grant Programs Directorate. The Service Management Branch is new, so our roles are continually evolving. Currently, my primary role is to provide program management of the FEMA Grants Outcome (GO) User Surveys. The survey is conducted to collect customer satisfaction and opinions. User survey input helps us identify and improve system designs, usability and training.
What work have you done at FEMA that you’re particularly proud of?
I am very proud to work at FEMA. I am most proud of being an inaugural member of the Recovery Recruitment Council as a co-developer of the FEMA Recovery Presents: Leading, Learning, Laughing Series which was initially launched in October 2020. This series promoted a healthy and happy workplace environment.
I am also very proud of the FEMA CORE Values group where I introduced “Hunt the Good Stuff” as an opening icebreaker for our weekly group meetings.
Hunt the Good Stuff is a resilience exercise that builds positive emotions, such as gratitude and counteract the negativity bias – the tendency to pay more attention to bad events rather than positive events to create positive emotion and to purposefully notice what is good. It is designed to equip individuals with a set of practical skills than can be applied in everyday life to navigate adversity and thrive in challenging environments
What is the most fulfilling/rewarding thing about working with FEMA?
The most fulfilling and rewarding thing about working for FEMA is serving as a leader able to help people who have just had the worst day or experience in their lives find the resources they need to be resilient and move to a new normal.
What role do we play at FEMA, in making sure that equity is always our focus and that no community is left behind in disaster preparation, response and recovery?
I believe that it is my job to learn more about the communities that I serve to ensure that I can understand the need or the gap in resources. If I do not know, then it is my job to find out and connect everyone with the resource they need.
Rebecca Briscoe
Infrastructure Branch Director
What is your role at FEMA?
I provide supervisory oversight and mentoring to a team of specialists performing emergency management work.
What work have you done at FEMA that you’re particularly proud of?
Being deployed to rural Tennessee last year where I was able to utilize FEMA’s Core Values with applicants who in most cases lost everything. It was such a gratifying feeling to place them on the road to recovery and bring hope to communities who simply lost hope.
Most recently I completed a detail with the Grants Program Directorate coordinating a comprehensive grant review for all FEMA programs to assess barriers and inequities.
What is the most fulfilling/rewarding thing about working with FEMA?
Being able to provide an Applicant/Survivor a helping hand to reassure them that they are in good hands regardless of their socioeconomic status, color, origin, race, gender or zip code.
Previously, I worked for another federal agency. What drew me to FEMA was the commitment to service. When not in the office, I am a Co-Founder of a nonprofit called Sister 2 Sistah where we mentor first generation college students, support underserved communities in the Houston Metro area and provide scholarships to those who would otherwise be unable to attend college because of the lack of resources.
What role do we play at FEMA in making sure that equity is always our focus and that no community is left behind in disaster preparation, response and recovery?
We as employees play a significant role in making sure equity remains our focus by exemplifying FEMA’s Core Values both in and out of the field. Another way to ensure equity remains a priority is having accurate agency-wide data to support our most vulnerable communities with precise disaster equity assessments, targeted stakeholder outreach and strategic partnerships with internal and external stakeholders.
Garry Green
Program Analyst
What is your job title and role?
I am a Program Analyst with the Strategic Planning and Communications Section of the Senior Analyst’s office. My role includes supporting internal and external communication initiatives, activities and outreach within the Strategic Planning and Communications team and throughout the Public Affairs Division.
What is a project you’ve completed at FEMA that you’re particularly proud of?
I am extremely proud of my contributions to the 422 Simplified Procedures Policy coming to fruition. Helping to navigate and develop the plan, content and communication products from the beginning and throughout the recent webinars has made me extremely proud.
What is the most fulfilling/rewarding thing about working with FEMA?
I am from St. Croix, US Virgin Island. I survived Irma and Maria as a resident who was also working as the Territory’s Public Information Officer in its Emergency Management Agency. I was at the frontline, working in the Emergency Operations Center. I saw how FEMA quickly dispatched resources, manpower and funding to help my community recover immediately following the storms. The most fulfilling and rewarding thing about working with FEMA is knowing that I am now paying it forward. I know that the work I do on a daily basis will help communities across our nation recover from current and future disasters as well. For that, I am extremely proud!
What role do we play at FEMA in making sure that equity is always our focus and that no community is left behind in disaster preparation, response and recovery?
Equity and inclusion are woven into the fabric of our work here at FEMA as they are the foundation of emergency management. As part of our regular review and approval process, my team and I ensure all communications products are reviewed for 508 compliance. Additionally, we have developed a team of Spanish language professionals who are able to translate webinars into Spanish. We also provide ASL interpretation close captioning services during internal and external webinars. These are only some of the steps we regularly take to ensure equity and inclusion for all stakeholders.
Bolashade Hanson
Program Analyst
What is your job title and role?
I am a Program Analyst in the Strategic Planning and Communications Office of the Public Assistance Division Recovery directorate. My role on the team is to assist in the communication needs of the division and facilitate cohesive communication across the many branches in Public Assistance (PA).
What is a project you’ve completed at FEMA that you’re particularly proud of?
I am particularly proud of creating the division-wide newsletter called the PA Monthly. It was part of our section chiefs’ vision and strategic plan for improving communication and the dissemination of important information throughout our large division. I am proud that we have kept this new initiative going consistently every month and how it is encouraging the PA team to share their success stories and keep the team aware and unified.
What is the most fulfilling/rewarding thing about working with FEMA?
What I like about FEMA is its overall mission to help our nation’s citizens in crisis. FEMA is quite large, and when disasters strike, the mission is monumental. I may not be the one directly helping on the ground but knowing that I can contribute to the overall process with the work I do makes me feel good.
What role do we play at FEMA in making sure that equity is always our focus and that no community is left behind in disaster preparation, response and recovery?
I always strive to be informed so I that I can act in wisdom, love and respect. FEMA is such an integral agency to our nation’s security and prosperity, and that means we need to be informed of equitable practices, leading responsibly, knowing our communities, and setting an example in how we operate. We must also speak up when we see something that is not right. In these ways, FEMA leads the charge and becomes a guardian of equity in disaster preparation, response and recovery.
Visit the federal Black History Month website to learn more about the 2023 celebration of African American achievement.