For Claire Connolly Knox and Kathryn Valentine ’16, emergency management is more than a career. It’s a calling — and one that’s earned them statewide recognition.
To celebrate the accomplishments of emergency management professionals, the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) and the Florida Disaster Foundation recently hosted their inaugural Awards Ceremony Gala, a new component of Florida’s Training for Emergency Management (FTEM) symposium. Connolly Knox and Valentine were among the professionals recognized for their work in public service.
Connolly Knox, a professor in the College of Community Innovation and Education’s School of Public Administration, received the Campus Impact Award. This accolade honors emergency management educators, professors, university programs and campus clubs whose accomplishments have improved their community while helping students and early professionals forge their career paths in emergency management or homeland security.
Connolly Knox says she is honored to have received the award and proud to contribute to a field that plays a vital role in community resilience and public service.
“To be recognized for my contributions to the emergency management discipline and profession with this award by practitioners I hold in high esteem is an honor I do not take lightly,” Connolly Knox says. “I have great respect for the profession and those who serve their community. As a former practitioner, I do my best to bridge theory with practice to improve the study and practice of emergency management.”
Connolly Knox’s contributions to the emergency management field are many. With over 15 years of research, teaching and service, she has created evidence-based learning opportunities for students. She helped build UCF’s No. 1 nationally ranked master’s in emergency and crisis management program while mentoring students and junior faculty. Connolly Knox also built and sustained community partnerships throughout the U.S. and led national initiatives and research teams.
Connolly Knox says some of the most rewarding parts of her work include collaborating with emergency management practitioners to create unique learning opportunities for students, along with mentoring students as they either enter or advance in the field.
“To see students have that ‘aha’ moment when concepts and theories connect with the activity in the emergency operations center still gives me goosebumps,” Connolly Knox says. “Helping them transition from student to professional is also very rewarding. Whether it’s landing their dream job across the country, receiving a promotion or completing their professional certification, celebrating their successes never gets old. These are not just my students and alumni — they are forever my ‘kids.’ ”
Valentine — a mitigation manager for Seminole County Government and a graduate of UCF’s bachelor in public administration program who minored in emergency management and homeland security, and leadership studies — was honored with the Miles Anderson Heart of Mitigation Award. This award recognizes an individual or organization for a notable mitigation achievement in the state of Florida. In emergency management, mitigation actions help to reduce or eliminate the loss of life and property by lessening the impact of disasters.
Valentine says she is grateful to be recognized and takes pride in receiving an award named after the late Miles Anderson, the former mitigation bureau chief of the FDEM.
“Looking at the example Miles set in the field of mitigation, it is an honor to receive an award named after his legacy,” Valentine says. “I admire many of my colleagues and aspire to demonstrate the qualities described in the tenets of this award.”
Valentine’s work encompasses various large- and small-scale projects impacting communities. These include creating backup power and shutter systems for medically enhanced shelters, improving the scoring criteria and tracking systems for local mitigation projects, and working with local and regional partners to accomplish these initiatives.
“Part of my passion relates directly to working at the local government level of emergency management, where I feel the most impact can be made,” Valentine says. “I love being able to see the short- and long-term impacts on the community I serve.”
