Kim Stephens

Texas A&M University

Kim Stephens Consulting

Harford County, Maryland, United States

Kim is a recognized expert in communications, notably the use social networking as it applies to public organizations. Since 2010, as an independent contractor, Ms. Stephens has been involved in numerous projects designed to help organizations improve their ability to provide web-based risk and preparedness communications to the public. The projects have included everything from developing social media and crisis communications training for the Department of Education for use by secondary schools, to developing online training for use in emergency shelters.

Consultant

- Provided support to the four Homeland Security Regional Councils in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for the development of HSEEP-compliant, multi-year training and exercise plans.
-  Wrote a comprehensive After Action Report and Improvement Plan following devastating tornadoes in Western Massachusetts.
- Participated in and provided support to CNA: Experts Roundtable on Catastrophes with a focus on the Japan earthquake and tsunami.

Abt Associates

Senior Researcher

Assisted the Director of Emergency Management on several critical projects: citizen preparedness; National Incident Management System (NIMS) implementation; staff training and exercising; and hazard mitigation planning.

Selected Accomplishments:
- Provided support and analysis in functional activities including the revision of the county and city combined hazard mitigation plan;
- Provided support to the Regional Homeland Security District 7 Committee including planning and exercise design; budget formulation; standard operating procedure development, memorandum of understanding development for inter-regional emergency communications equipment; and collaborated with county, community, and regional partner agencies (to include Fort Campbell military base, the City of Clarksville, the county-wide school district, and neighboring counties).
- Developed grant awarded by the National Fire Protection Administration (NFPA) for thermal imaging devices for Montgomery County.
- Developed grant for neighboring county awarded by the NFPA for self-contained breathing apparatuses (SCBA). This was the first grant the county had ever received from the NFPA.
- Served as an advisor during emergency operations center activations or significant county events, to include the county response to the H1N1 virus, and numerous weather events.
- Participated in the evaluation, integration, and operation of emergency management support tools such as standard operating procedures, and their applications.
- Served on the exercise and design committee and as an evaluator for the Annual Homeland Security District 7 multi-county, multi-agency exercise.
- Served as an evaluator for a full-scale exercise of the Fort Campbell emergency response system.
- Coordinated with Austin Peay State University in the development of an Emergency Management Degree program.

Montgomery County (TN) Emergency Management Agency

Emergency Management Specialist

- Taught “An Introduction to Political Science” and “American Government”
- Wrote lectures and exams within the guidelines of the department-wide class objectives.
- Created writing assignments designed to expand students’ critical thinking skills as well as their research abilities and limit opportunities for plagiarism; effectively implemented available technology to craft lectures; led discussions in political current events to allow for evaluation of students’ ability to communicate information and ideas clearly and effectively.

Brookdale Community College

Adjunct Professor

- Assisted with the implementation of the national programs on oil and hazardous substance emergency response, preparedness, and prevention.
- Provided support to emergency operations for national and international incidents by participating in activations under, interactions with, and support to the National Contingency Plan, the National Response Team, the Federal Response Plan (FRP), and EPA’s National Incident Coordination Team.
- Primary planner and coordinator for EPA’s annual FRP meetings designed to educate the regional staff regarding changes to the Federal Response Plan. Received numerous awards for service as listed below.
- Developed and implemented multiple standard operating procedures (SOPs) including the following: internal agency after action reports, EPA’s role and participation in international response operations, and for the collection and disposal of household hazardous waste during major disasters.
- Primary planner for EPA’s participation in Response ’95—a national exercise. Work assignment manager to coordinate contractor support for numerous projects.

Awards:
- Special Service Act Award
- Sustained Superior Service Performance Award
- Two Bronze Medals (EPA’s third most prestigious) In recognition of outstanding service in developing the National Guidance for Household Hazardous Waste Collection in Emergency Situations
- Outstanding Public Service Award from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for work on the Federal Response Planning Task Force.