By Sarah Cowan, Willow Weber, and Caitlin Parker
The Emerging Professionals (EP) Committee is a national community for students and those entering the field of disaster risk reduction (DRR) and disaster and emergency management (D&EM), to provide a platform to elevate their voices, and to create meaningful opportunities for professional and personal development. Over the past two years, the EP committee has been incredibly active and we are excited to share some of our highlights.
If you are an emerging professional interested in joining the CRHNet EP Committee please reach out to ep@crhnet.ca.
Driven by community needs
Throughout the past two years, the EP Committee has engaged directly with CRHNet members to better understand their needs, and have adapted our programming to do so. An initial survey in Spring 2024 provided important context of the current job market by soliciting insight from both new, seasoned and retired professionals on topics such as availability of jobs, hiring processes, and necessary resources. A second survey in Fall 2024 was used to reconfirm programming needs and understand barriers to participation. Together, these two surveys have informed our deliverables to better serve EPs across Canada; this includes more opportunities for learning, information for employment opportunities, and increased access to the emergency management community. All are clearly reflected in the many activities highlighted below.
Ontario Provincial Operations Centre; photo provided by Nathan Innes with permission.
Learning opportunities
All EP events were held in a virtual environment, as requested by our members, to support access from across Canada. Learning opportunities featured distinguished guest speakers who shared their personal experience with topics such as cybersecurity, mental health and resiliency, disaster risk reduction, health care emergency management, accessibility, and the use of drones in emergency response and recovery. In partnership with Humber College, a three week certificate course taught participants American Sign Language (ASL) and provided emergency managers with the tools they need to feel empowered to be able to work with and serve a larger and more diverse community. Additional social events have provided opportunities for EPs to connect in informal settings while participating in activities such as trivia.
Uplifting, advocating and providing resources
A foundational pillar of the EP Committee is to advocate and uplift EPs across Canada through sharing resources to support and highlight their contributions. In February 2024, we introduced the inaugural EP Newsletter to provide information related to professional growth. The content varies from issue to issue, but generally you can look forward to upcoming events (both from CRHNet and external organizations), job and volunteer opportunities, community features, and resources. The newsletter is sent via email to all CRHNet members.
New in 2024/25 is the addition of the EP Spotlight on the CRHNet Blog which features an up and coming individual in the field and explores their experience, contributions and hopes for the field.
Thank you to our committee members
All the above would not be possible without the amazing members of the 2023/24 and 2024/25 EP Committee members. Please join us in thanking the EP Committee members for their contributions and support: Dalida Alhaddad, Tugba Altin, Michelle Christopher, Eduardo Zanicoski Colin, Sarah Cowan, Avery Danyluk, Jaci Gilbert, CJ Hann, Brett Hershey, Faith Hinds, Brooklynn Hole, Kellie James, Corey Jakobsze, Jonathan Kohan, Shayna Labbé, Evan Llewellyn, Jen McEachen, Kyle Mcelhinney, Sumaira Niazi, Caitlin Parker, Constance Passas, Michelle Syonne Reyes, Richelle Roosman, Tamara Rose, Aparna Sengupta, Samrah Siddiqui, Sneh Sneh, Jenny Steenstra, Willow Weber, and Jude Yankey.
Bios
Sarah Cowan (MDEM) is currently the CRHNet Director of Membership & Strategic Partnerships, and previously held the role of Co-Chair of the EP Committee from 2022-2024. Outside of CRHNet, Sarah is the Lab Manager with CEMPPR Lab at York University and an Emergency Preparedness Speciality with Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare (MAHC). Her research interests include decision making, risk perception, public policy, and inclusive whole-of-society resilience.
Caitlin Parker (MA-DEM) is currently the CRHNet Director of Emerging Professionals. She is also pursuing a Master of Counselling program at City University of Seattle. She recently graduated from Royal Roads University with a Master of Arts in Disaster and Emergency Management. Her research was in the field of psychosocial support for individuals experiencing intimate partner violence.
