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EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT: KELLY BOYSEN
Kelly
Boysen has always been fascinated by storms. Originally from
Galveston, Boysen knew at a very young age she wanted to be a
meteorologist and study the weather. However, as her career
developed, her interests took an unexpected turn.
�I realized that I really have always enjoyed the weather, but I
cared a lot more about emergency preparedness and trying to
prepare people for either weather hazards or other environmental
hazards that might affect them. So I decided to change gears,�
Boysen said.
After receiving her bachelor�s degree in meteorology in Florida
and working as a tropical weather forecaster, Boysen decided to
go back to school. She received her master�s degree in geography
at Texas State University and did most of her research in
emergency management geared toward preparing for disasters at
universities. During her studies, she worked for a summer at
Harris County�s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency
Management where she gained emergency management experience and
acquired valuable contacts. It was her former supervisor at
Harris County that informed Boysen of the position opening at
UH. Boysen became UH�s Emergency Management Specialist in late
July 2011.
As the specialist, Boysen said she wears several different
�hats.� She is responsible for writing incident action plans for
campus events to keep track of all security resources, providing
preparedness and outreach to the UH community, and helping to
overhaul the university-wide emergency management plan. Boysen
is currently also developing hazard specific plans for
emergencies such as pandemic influenza, and said she hopes to
have all these plans completed and ready by December of this
year. Emergency Management is also in charge of Campus Emergency
Response Team (CERT) training and just graduated its first class
of 15 people this semester. CERT training teaches participants
basic search and rescue skills, fire suppression, medical skills
and triage so that they can act quickly in emergency situations
to help out others until first responders are able to arrive.
UHDPS plans to host two more training sessions in the spring.
Boysen said she and Joe Mendez, Emergency Management Director,
are working diligently to get all disaster plans in place
campus-wide and also reaching out to the UH faculty, staff and
students to educate and promote disaster preparedness. In this
position, Boysen must communicate with various departments to
get their cooperation in the university�s emergency preparedness
plans and has found them to be very receptive to her efforts.
�What I love about UH is everyone has been so friendly to me and
so welcoming. I have worked with a number of people that have
been a joy to work with and they seem to all really care about
the university,� she said.
Boysen said she loves her job at UH because it is �different
every day� and is happy to have found the opportunity in
Houston. She moved along with her husband John who was able to
find a nursing position in the neonatal intensive care unit at
the Children�s Memorial Hermann Hospital. The couple lives near
the Medical District with their new puppy, Rhea, and James, a
cat that has lived with Boysen since college.
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