Eileen Unger Inducted into International Women in Homeland Security and Emergency Management (inWEM) Hall of Fame
Reno, NV – October 2013 Eileen Unger, President of Emergency Preparedness Partnerships (EPP), has been inducted into the Homeland Security and Emergency Management (inWEM) Hall of Fame. This prestigious honor was memorialized during the International Association of Emergency Managers’ 61st Annual Conference in Reno, Nevada, on October 26, 2013. She was inducted because of her extensive work within the field of utility storm restoration, and though her entrepreneurial efforts with Emergency Preparedness Partnerships.
This event represents one of the International Network of Women in Emergency Management’s (inWEM’s) major initiatives, honoring women who are pioneers and leaders in the field of homeland security and emergency management in local, state, tribal, and federal governments. This honor is given only to women around the world who have been innovators in critical infrastructure facilities; volunteer, faith, and community based organizations; the private and nonprofit sectors; academia; military; and private industry.
“I can’t tell you how honored I am to be inducted into the International Women in Homeland Security and Emergency Management Hall of Fame,” said Unger. “I am humbled by this opportunity, and it is a great source of pride knowing that my dedication and hard work has been recognized by such a prestigious organization within the industry.”
Unger has more than 32 years experience in the engineering, construction and utility industries. As president of EPP, Ms. Unger provides not only the leadership and strategic direction for the company, but also uses her expertise in project management, emergency preparedness process analyzation and practical plan development for client projects.
This represents the latest in a series of recognitions for Unger. In the past she has received the Wells Fargo and National Association of Women Business Owners’ Trailblazer Award; she was selected as one of ten outstanding women in business by South Jersey Magazine; she was awarded one of the 25 Women of Influence by the Philadelphia Business Journal; and she was named one of New Jersey’s Best 50 Women in Business by NJBiz. Previous recognitions include being a 2005 Enterprising Women of the Year Award Finalist, 2004 Woman of Influence named by NJBIZ magazine, and one of the 24 People to Watch in 2004 by South Jersey Magazine.
Dr. Jacqueline McBride, President of inWEM, said, “This award honors the contributions individuals have made in the advancement of women in emergency management and a culture of preparedness for safer, resilient, and sustainable diverse communities. Young girls and women around the world need to see and read about these ‘trailblazers’ – someone who reaches out and encourages them to one day follow their career path.”
The complete list of inductees is:
1818 Ms. Molly Williams, the first female firefighter in the United States (USA) (Posthumous)
1940s Dr. Rosa Lee Slade Gragg (1904 – 1989), under President Roosevelt, was appointed to the National Advisory Board of the Federal Office of Civil Defense and the only African American to serve on the Board of the National Volunteer’s Participation Committee of Civil Defense. She also helped to establish Detroit’s first Civilian Defense Office. (USA) (Posthumous)
1983 Ms. Mary Schoenfeldt, a pioneer in school crisis response, disaster stress management, public education and emergency management in the State of Washington (USA)
1983 Ms. Eileen Unger, a trailblazer in utility storm restoration, emergency management, emergency preparedness, engineering and construction (USA)
1992 Dr. Elaine Enarson, one of the first female, disaster sociologists, on gender and disasters; co-founder of the global Gender and Disaster Network (1997); and founder/facilitator of the US Gender and Disaster Resilience Alliance (2009) (USA)
2000 Dr. Betty Morrow, organized and sponsored the first International Conference on Women in Emergency Management (USA)
2000 Ms. Ana-Marie Jones, author and innovator behind Collaborating Agencies Responding to Disasters (CARD), creating trailblazing, research-based, fear-free approaches to preparedness for vulnerable and other marginalized communities (USA)
2004 Ms. Mary Anne McKown, senior planning lead, in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, in writing, comment adjudication, and synthesis of the seminal national doctrine and documents to include the 2004 National Response Plan, the 2007 National Response Framework, the 2012 National Response Framework, and the National Planning System (USA)
2004 Dr. Brenda D. Phillips, one of the first women worldwide to attain full professorship in an emergency management program in the Department of Political Science, at Oklahoma State University (USA)
2004 Chief Debra Pryor (Ret.), the nation’s second African American Fire Chief and the City of Berkeley, CA’s first female firefighter, paramedic and paramedic supervisor, and the first woman to hold the titles of lieutenant, captain, assistant chief, deputy chief and fire chief (USA)
2005 Ms. Kathy Cook, the first female Government Relations Specialist for the U.S. Small Business Administration’s newly formed Field Operations Center – East. (USA)
2009 Chief Toni B. Washington is the first African American and first female to become Fire Chief in the City of Decatur, Georgia (USA)
2010 Ms. Pamela L’Heureux, the first President of IAEM-USA Council representing volunteer emergency management, York County Emergency Management Agency and Town of Waterboro, Maine (USA)
2010 Ms. JoAnna Larsen became the first female professional emergency manager for the State of Utah Department of Health and, in 2011, was elected to lead the Utah Emergency Management Association as its president (USA)
2011 Dr. Kiki Caruson, first Vice President for Research, Innovation and Global Affairs, University of South Florida, with focus on intelligence, counterterrorism, counterinsurgency (USA)
2011 Ms. Cherrie Black, first female chair elected to the DHS’ State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Government Coordinating Council (SLTTGCC) (USA)
2011 Judge Renée Cardwell Hughes (Ret.), one of the first, African American females, Regional Chief Executive Officers for the American Red Cross (USA)
2012 Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., one of the first Greek Letter organizations to officially establish an Emergency Response Team (USA)
2012 Ms. Andrea Berwind Davis, first female Director of Global Crisis Management and Business Continuity for The Walt Disney Company (USA)
For more information about inWEM https://inwem.org/wp/
For more information about the IAEM https://www.iaem.com/home.cfm
