JSU Emergency Management Educators are Leaders in the Field
Students in Emergency Management programs benefit from the dedication and expertise of a faculty and staff who have more than 200 years of combined experience. All professors and instructors hold doctorate and/or master degrees and many have hands-on experience in their field outside of academia, uniquely qualifying them to teach Emergency Management courses.
Administration
Faculty
Professors
|
Education |
Specialization/Research Interests |
Bill Lowe
CV
|
D.B.A. 2000 - Nova Southeastern University
|
- Homeland Security
- Terrorism
- Response
- Mitigating, Preventing, Responding, and Recovering from Active Shooters Incidents
|

Tanveer Islam
CV
|
Ph.D. 2006 - Texas Tech University
|
- Hazard Mitigation
- Vulnerability Assessment
- Community Resilience
- Social Media
- GIS applications
|
Associate Professors |
|
|
Shih-Kai Huang
CV
|
Ph.D. 2014 - Texas A & M University |
- Risk Perception
- Risk Communication
- Warning Response
- Cross-national Comparisons in Disaster Research
- Quantitative Research Method
|
Alessandra Jerolleman
CV
|
Ph.D. 2013 - University of New Orleans
|
- Privatization of Emergency Management
- Disaster Resilience
- Hazard Mitigation
|
Jeff Van Slyke
CV
|
ED.D 2007 - University of Texas
|
- Response
- Terrorism
- Campus Safety
- Homeland Security
- Threat Assessment
|
Assistant Professors |
|
|
|
Allison Newton
CV
|
Ed.D. 2017 - University of Alabama
|
- Student Veteran issues e.g. transitioning to civilian life, etc.
- Hazard Mitigation and Recovery Issues to include Federal/State Mitigation Programs and Emergency Relief
- The Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project
|
Chongming Wang
CV
|
Ph.D 2016 - Pennsylvania State University
|
- Evacuation Behaviors & Preparedness
- Vulnerability of Elderly Populations
- GIS Applications in Social Science
|
Laura Olson
CV
|
Ph.D 2012 - George Washington University
|
- Disaster Risk Reduction
- Climate Change Adaptation
- Disaster Recovery
|
Instructor |
|
|
|
Denise DaSilva
CV
|
MPA/EM 2002 - Jacksonville State University |
- Social dimensions of disaster
- Preparedness and planning
|
Emeritus Faculty
|
|
|
A. Barry Cox
IEP Director Emeritus
|
Ph.D 1968 - University of South Carolina
|
- Safety and Environmental Health Issues
- Hazardous Materials Management
|
Jane Kushma
Professor Emerita & CDCR Director
CV
|
Ph.D. 2001 - University of Texas at Arlington
|
- Emergency Management Policy
- Disaster Management
- Nonprofit organizations and volunteer management
- Service learning
|
Jeff Ryan
Professor Emeritus
|
Ph.D 1996 - North Carolina State University
|
- Public Health Preparedness
- Biosecurity
- Military Role in Disaster Response
|
Distinguished Affiliate Professor/Affiliate Faculty
David McEntire
Distinguished Affiliated Professor
CV
|
Ph.D 2000 - University of Denver
|
- Emergency Management Theory
- Vulnerability Reduction
- Community Preparedness
- Response Coordination
- International Disasters
- Terrorism and Homeland Security
|
Arjola Balilaj
CV
|
Ph.D 2020 - Florida Atlantic University
|
- Diversity
- Mediation & Conflict Resolution
- Program Evaluation
- Public Budgeting and Management
|
David Thornton
CV
|
Ph.D 2008 - Auburn University
|
- Serious Games
- Gamification
- Multimodal and Speech-enabled Interfaces
- Human-Computer Interaction
|
Adjunct Faculty
Rhonda Braudis
CV
|
MA/EM 2012 - American Public University
|
- Public Safety Telecommunications
- Disaster Operations
- Clinical Incident Stress Management -Crisis Negotiations
|
Andre Jones
CV
|
Ph.D 2021 - Walden University
|
- Management Systems in Disaster
- Major Incident Response
- Emergency Operations Center Management
|
Matthew McFall
CV
|
MS 2014 - Jacksonville State University
|
- Business and Academic Continuity
- Cyber Security
- Risk Perceptions
|
Brad McGriff
CV
|
MS 2007 - Jacksonville State University
|
- Cyber Security
- Computer Systems & Software Design
|
Scott Manning
CV
|
D.Sc. 2017 - Jacksonville State University
|
- Strategic Planning
- Leadership Theory and Organizational Behavior
- Homeland Security Planning and Preparedness
|
Eugene Rothman
CV
|
MS/EM 2013 - Jacksonville State University |
|
Laura Ann Martin Sullins
CV
|
MA in Communication Management 2014 - University of Alabama at Birmingham
MA in English 2006 - Jacksonville State University
|
- Technical Writing
- Interpersonal Communications
|
Mary "Kay" Vonderschmidt
CV
|
D.Sc. 2017 - Jacksonville State University
|
- Healthcare Emergency Management
- Medical Surge
- Social Vulnerability
- Disaster Modeling
|