DRC Alumni Profiles: 35


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Zackery R White

DEGREE: 2024, Ph.D., Epidemiology

JOB TITLE: Research Analyst, Unite Us

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Farah Nibbs

DEGREE: 2024, Ph.D., Disaster Science and Management

JOB TITLE: Assistant Professor, UMBC

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Christopher Tharp

DEGREE: 2023, Ph.D., Political Science and International

JOB TITLE: ,

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Colten James Strickland

DEGREE: 2022, Ph.D., Epidemiology

JOB TITLE: COVID-19 Epidemiology and Surveillance Manager, San Francisco Department of Public Health

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Yajaira I. Ayala

DEGREE: 2022, Ph.D., Disaster Science & Management

JOB TITLE: ,

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Samantha Penta

DEGREE: 2017, Ph.D., Sociology

JOB TITLE: Assistant Professor, University at Albany, State University of New York

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Anthony Cario

DEGREE: 2016, M.S., Disaster Science and Management

JOB TITLE: Project Lead, IT Team, All Hands and Hearts

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Paige Fitzgerald

DEGREE: 2016, M.S., Disaster Science and Managemen

JOB TITLE: Senior Administrator, Delaware Emergency Management Agency

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Juan Camilo Sánchez Gil

DEGREE: 2016, Ph.D., Disaster Science and Management

JOB TITLE: Professor, Universidad de Antioquia

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Mary (Maggie) Nelan

DEGREE: 2016, Ph.D., Sociology

JOB TITLE: Assistant Professor, University of North Texas

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Benjamin D. Wallace

DEGREE: 2016, M.S., Disaster Science and Management

JOB TITLE: International Practice Coordinator, SPIN Global

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Hsien-Ho (Ray) Chang

DEGREE: 2015, Ph.D., Disaster Science and Management

JOB TITLE: Assistant Professor, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide

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DRC Alumni Profiles: 35


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Zack Adinoff

DEGREE: 2013, M.S., Disaster Science and Management

JOB TITLE: Emergency Planner, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff, Emergency Services Division

Zack Adinoff (M.S. ’13) is an Emergency Planner for Contra Costa County in the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition to the general responsibilities of public safety, planning, and general disaster continuity; he is the liaison for cities within the central part of the county as well as specializing in logistics and continuity of operations/government planning. He has developed a Point of Distribution Plan and collaborated on various other projects including a Catastrophic Earthquake Plan. Prior to this, he was the Emergency Management Project Coordinator for the California Resiliency Alliance, a non-profit focused on bridging the gap between Private and Public Sector emergency managers. In this role, he developed a Disaster Legislative Waiver process and Disaster Access to Travel program along with managing many others. Before this as part of his degree and for six months afterward, he worked for the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management. While there, he developed a three day functional tsunami exercise, did a comparative analysis of San Francisco and nearby San Mateo mass casualty incident plans, and assisted with numerous other projects and plans.

During his time as a student in the University of Delaware Disaster Science and Management Program, Zack specialized in High Reliability Organizations and network response theory. He has applied these concepts and others taught in the DISA program across his numerous positions. The most important lesson he learned was that disasters are less about management and more about coordination.​

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Anthony Cario

DEGREE: 2016, M.S., Disaster Science and Management

JOB TITLE: Project Lead, IT Team, All Hands and Hearts

Mr. Anthony Cario joined All Hands and Hearts in 2018 and is a member of the IT team. In his current role as a Project Lead, he is responsible for managing the redesign of the operational data system. The project will increase data quality and facilitate more effective operations when working with communities impacted by disasters.

Since earning his degree in Disaster Science and Management from the University of Delaware (MS ’16), Anthony worked in various roles supporting disaster response and recovery missions as a technical specialist and data analyst. Anthony is an active member of the Water Youth Network’s Disaster Risk Reduction working group. Anthony received a B.S. in Management and a B.S. in Marketing from the University of Delaware in 2010. In 2016, he received an M.S. in Disaster Science and Management from the University of Delaware. While completing his graduate degree, Anthony worked as a Research Assistant at the Disaster Research Center, assisted emergency management activities with the University of Delaware Office of Campus; Public Safety, and interned with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) in Geneva, Switzerland. Following graduation, Anthony worked as a Technical Assistance Specialist for IMPAQ International (2016-2017). In this role, he supported the Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program, a federally funded program that responds to the behavioral health needs of disaster survivors.

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Hsien-Ho (Ray) Chang

DEGREE: 2015, Ph.D., Disaster Science and Management

JOB TITLE: Assistant Professor, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide

Dr. Chang earned his Ph.D. from University of Delaware in Disaster Science and Management and his master’s degree from Arizona State University in Fire Service Administration. His research interests are in disaster response and fire service administration-related topics. His goal is to develop the theoretical foundation and integrate his working experience in both Taiwanese and American fire departments for the Incident Command System (ICS) in order to strengthen its practical applications. By combining his educational training with his practical background, Dr. Chang hopes to bridge the gap between academics and practitioners, and believes his Asian heritage and cross-cultural training will benefit disaster management systems in the United States and around the world.
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Michael B. Clark

DEGREE: 2007, B.A., Sociology

JOB TITLE: Director of Data Science, Well and LIghthouse

After my days at UD and the Disaster Research Center came to an end, I moved to Washington, DC to work for the American Institutes for Research then the National Academy of Sciences’ National Research Council (within the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education). After completing my masters degree in Predictive Analytics from Northwestern University in 2014 I took on the role of Director of Data Science for a digital marketing firm that specializes in major U.S. political campaigns. However, I moved to Mexico in 2015, so I perform this role remotely.​
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Marcia Deppen

DEGREE: 2000, M.A., Sociology

JOB TITLE: Director of Consequence Management, Maryland Emergency Management Agency

Ms. Deppen began working at the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) since 2013. She was hired in the Training and Exercise Branch as the State Exercise Officer and as the Branch Manager before being promoted to Director of Consequence Management in 2018. Ms. Deppen oversees the following units at MEMA: Planning, Training and Exercise, Resource Management, MD Search and Rescue Taskforce, Maryland Incident Management Team, the 24/7 Maryland Joint Operations Center and new and innovative approaches to emergency management.
Alumni Engagement

Alumni are the university’s most valuable resources. By investing your time, talent and treasure, you make a deep impact that increases the value of a University of Delaware degree. View some of the ways we keep engaged below.

DRC 2019 07 NHW Alumni Reception

ABOVE: DRC faculty, students and alums at the Annual DRC Alumni Reception, 2019.

Each year DRC hosts the Annual DRC Alumni Reception at the Natural Hazards Workshop! This is a great opportunity to meet DRC alums and to connect/reconnect with old and new friends.

Share Your Knowledge

Each semester, we welcome our alumni to share their work, research, and experiences with our students. Whether they join us in person or virtually, our current students are always excited to hear from those in the expansive network of DRC alumni from around the world. Reach out to drc-mail@udel.edu! We would love to hear from you.

Inspire the Future

Our alumni value providing hands-on experiences for our students, be it through practicums, internships, and invitations for students to come and share their innovative research with the alum’s organization. Some have even designated awards to support students through assistantships, summer internship stipends, and travel support to attend conferences. Contact us at drc-mail@udel.edu if you have an idea of how you want to support this next generation of scholars and practitioners.

Stay Connected

Stay connected to DRC by following the Disaster Research Center on Facebook and on Twitter, signing up for the DRC Dispatch newsletter, and updating your contact information to help us better communicate with you.