Responding to Emergencies on Campus: UGA and YOU

Sep 11, 2008 - 1:49:47 PM

On September 11, 2008 , the Office of Security and Emergency Preparedness and the Center for International Trade and Security hosted a forum on responding to emergencies at UGA. The focus of the forum discussed emergency preparedness at UGA. This event coincides with September as National Preparedness Month and is part of the Academic-Professional Security Series. 

Specifically, speakers addressed what progress has been made since the Emergency Preparedness and Communications Committee report was issued last year, challenges at UGA, what needs to be improved, trends on college campuses, how individuals can be involved, what to expect from the police in an emergency and what role culture plays in emergency preparedness. The speakers have a tremendous wealth of experience and come from a variety of backgrounds including law enforcement, security studies, public health and pharmacy, higher education and public affairs, and emergency management. A complete list of the speakers and their biography is listed below.

Please contact the Office of Security and Emergency Preparedness with any questions at 706-542-5845 or e-mail at osep@uga.edu.

Speakers:

Tim Burgess

Tim Burgess serves as the Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration at the University of Georgia. In this capacity, he manages UGA's fiscal, human and physical resources which encompass safety and security functions. Burgess has nearly three decades of service to the State of Georgia, having served as the director of the Office of Planning and Budget, chief financial officer for the Georgia Technology Authority, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Motor Vehicle Safety, and as commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Health. He holds a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Georgia and a master's degree in public administration from Georgia State University.

Kathy Pharr

Kathy Pharr serves as assistant vice president for finance and administration at the University of Georgia and coordinates administrative matters and special projects. She chaired the University of Georgia Emergency Preparedness and Communications Committee, formed in May 2007, which assessed the University's emergency response, emergency notification and communication, and awareness and education efforts in the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy. Prior to joining Finance and Administration, Pharr served as assistant to the president and as director of communications and public relations at the UGA School of Law. Pharr earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and a master's degree in public administration, with a specialization in higher education, from the University of Georgia.

Trina Von Waldner

Dr. Trina von Waldner graduated from the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy with her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy in 1986, and began practicing hospital pharmacy in Savannah. For the next 15 years she served as a rural hospital pharmacy director at four different South Georgia health systems. In 1998 she entered the Nontraditional Doctor of Pharmacy Pathway Program at the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy, graduating in 2001. After receiving her Pharm.D. degree, she accepted a position with Public Health and served for six years as the Director of Pharmacy and Emergency Preparedness at the Southeast Health District in Waycross, GA. She was responsible for Public health emergency preparedness activities and pandemic influenza planning for 16 counties in Southeast Georgia. Dr. von Waldner joined the College of Pharmacy faculty in July of 2007, as the Director of Postgraduate Continuing Education.

Steve Harris

Steve Harris is the director of the UGA Office of Security and Emergency Preparedness for the University of Georgia. Previously he served as the State School Safety Unit Manager with the Georgia Office of Homeland Security-Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) from 1999-2006. Steve has served as a Police Officer and as an Assistant Security Administrator of a school district. Steve graduated from Georgia Southern University with a degree in History and continued his education at the University of Georgia by receiving a Master's degree in Social Science Education with teacher certification. Steve serves on several advisory councils and technical working groups associated with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Education.

Jimmy Williamson

Jimmy Williamson has been the University of Georgia Police Chief since August of 2004. He served as the Assistant Chief of Police for the previous 8 years and prior to that he held numerous ranks and worked in many different units within the department. He also served as Police Chief for Middle Georgia College. During is career he has been involved in many different aspects of law enforcement. In 1996, Jimmy was an Assistant Venue Commander for State Olympic Law Enforcement Command (SOLEC) for the Athens Venue. Jimmy is on the Advisory Council for Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Council. He also serves on several other boards like the University of Georgia Criminal Justice Program, Athens Technical College Criminal Justice Program and the Athens Regional Police Academy. He has a B.S. in Agronomy and a Master's in Public Administration. He has served the University of System of Georgia for 20 years and has a total of 22 years in Law enforcement.

 

Igor Khripunov

Dr. Khripunov worked in the Russian Foreign Service for 15 years prior to joining the Center for International Trade and Security at the University of Georgia. At UGA, Dr. Khripunov has been studying security from many different perspectives including WMD proliferation, terrorism, physical protection, disaster management, risk communication, export control, chemical and biological weapons, conventional weapons trade and arms control compliance and verification. Dr. Khripunov's area of emphasis is security culture. He has been widely published and regularly speaks at international forums including events hosted by the International Atomic Energy Association.