mihma posted on February 01, 2012 10:09
Local Red Cross Emergency Services Director
Completes UNC Graduate Certificate Program
Wilmington, NC, February 1, 2012- American Red Cross - Cape Fear Chapter Emergency Services Director, Victoria Kling, recently completed the Community Preparedness and Disaster Management (CPDM) graduate certificate program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, based in the Gillings School of Global Public Health.
The CPDM program is an intensive one-year program covering broad and current issues, trends and threats facing disaster management. The curriculum includes study of analytical methods used to evaluate risk; public health risks and health surveillance; planning and evaluation methods; crisis communications; key roles and responsibilities of federal, state and local governmental agencies in disaster preparation, mitigation, response and recovery; and the roles of voluntary agencies and community partners in disaster preparedness and response. Developed nine years ago by one of the top departments of Health Policy and Management in the country, the CPDM certificate program has admitted over 300 students and has received high praise from professionals in the field. A perspective from the CPDM program online overview is that “if Katrina taught us anything -- it's that we must all do a better job of understanding the ‘bigger picture’ -- understanding how all of the different organizations work and operate in what will no doubt be a highly-stressed, politically-charged environment. Successful management of future disasters -- whether natural or man-made -- will only be achieved if we all work and train well together.”
The five counties served by the American Red Cross - Cape Fear Chapter (Brunswick, Columbus, Duplin, New Hanover, Pender) are considered high risk in regards to disaster vulnerability. Collaboration with a wide variety of agencies and organizations, including close working partnerships with local emergency management in each county served by the chapter, is essential in order for the Red Cross to effectively execute its mission to help communities prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Victoria’s completion of the CPDM certificate program is an accomplishment American Red Cross leadership is proud of, as it further strengthens local knowledge and perspective in addressing emerging needs, issues and trends in disaster preparedness and response in this expanding high risk geography.
In her current role, Victoria oversees American Red Cross Disaster Services, Services to Armed Forces and Volunteer Services programs in the Cape Fear area. Victoria joined the Cape Fear Chapter in September 2006, shortly after concluding an eight month field assignment supporting relief and recovery efforts in Mississippi and Florida in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma (2005). Victoria holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Tulane University, and a Master of Science degree in Organizational Dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania. She is a 2010 graduate of the Academy for Strategic Management certificate program through the UNCW Master of Public Administration program, and a 2010 graduate of the Wilmington Fire Department Citizen’s Fire Academy.
Victoria also sits on the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC), serves as a board member on the New Hanover County Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) committee, is a key support member and participant in the establishment of the Cape Fear Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) and Long Term Recovery Committee (LTRC), both currently in development.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org. The Cape Fear Chapter, a chartered unit of the American Red Cross, provides vital programs and services to the residents of Brunswick, Columbus, Duplin, New Hanover and Pender counties in North Carolina. The Cape Fear Chapter was founded in 1908 and is the oldest Red Cross unit in the State of North Carolina.