#204 Sharon Russell on Information in Emergency Management

The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association.
During this episode, Sharon Russell lends her 20+ years of emergency response experience to the forum. Our discussion includes Sharon’s experience as the Deputy Incident Commander for the response to the Key Bridge incident, which happened in March 2024.

Recording Date: 4 Sept 2024

Research Question: Sharon Russell suggests an interested student examine ways of developing responses to public information questions faster; go back 20-30 years of lessons learned data to identify communications strategies that worked and did not work.

Resources:

• ‘Remarkably complex’ cleanup effort ramps up at site of Baltimore bridge collapse

• FEMA website

• FEMA Incident Command System

Link to full show notes and resources

Guest Bio: 

Ms. Sharon Russell is the Engagement Branch Chief and Deputy Division Chief of the Allies and Partners Force Development (APFD) Division, which is part of the Joint Staff Directorate for Force Development in Suffolk, Virginia.  This division uses coordinated engagements to develop collaborative force development capabilities between the Joint Force and its Allies and Partners.

Ms. Russell also has 22 years of service in the United States Coast Guard Reserve. She is a commissioned officer currently assigned as the Reserve Chief of Staff for the Coast Guard’s 13th District.  Her military experience includes assignments focused on Marine Safety and Port Security, as well as emergency responses to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita (2005), Irma (2017), and Florence and Matthew (2018).  Other response operations include Deepwater Horizon (2010), the capsized vessel GOLDEN RAY (2019) and the Key Bridge Response (2024).  She served as the lead planner for Maritime Security for the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida in 2012 coordinating 27 interagency organizations and provided security for 50,000 delegates, protectees and media.  In 2021, she served as the Coast Guard’s Incident Commander for COVID-19 vaccine operations, successfully leading the effort to vaccinate over 95% of the Coast Guard. Prior to her current assignment, CAPT Russell was assigned to the APFD Division as a Reservist, where she was hand-selected by the Division Chief to lead the highest priority effort, conducting a thorough analysis of the Joint Warfighting Concept and providing recommendations for release to Allies and partners. 

Prior to joining the Coast Guard, Ms. Russell served at the US Department of State as the Office of Foreign Missions designated senior international environmental policy expert and advisor to the Deputy Assistant Secretary.  Her work focused on customs and shipping regulations for the import/export of hazardous materials and relevant diplomatic immunities for the Conditions of Construction Agreement (COCA) negotiations between the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the State Department. 

With her experience in crisis management and long-range strategic planning from both a military and civilian perspective, Ms. Russell provides key leadership to inform current and future strategic issues affecting Allies and partners.

Ms. Russell is a native of St. Petersburg, Florida.  She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from Emory University with a concentration in Spanish and Russian language.  She also earned a Master of Arts degree in Environmental Policy from American University and a Master of Arts degree in Emergency Management from Tulane University.  She now resides in Suffolk, Virginia with her husband Marty. 

About: The Information Professionals Association (IPA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the role of information activities, such as influence and cognitive security, within the national security sector and helping to bridge the divide between operations and research. Its goal is to increase interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars and practitioners and policymakers with an interest in this domain.

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