Deb Hendricks currently serves the Missouri School Boards’ Association Center for Education Safety as an Education Safety Coordinator, managing the Missouri School Safety Academy program. Deb was the Voluntary Agency Liaison for the State Emergency Management Agency for approximately six years before joining CES. Prior to that she had a 28-year career as a Public Information Officer for the State of Missouri, with the last 19 years at the Department of Social Services and its Children’s Division. These two positions solidified her commitment to meeting the needs of children and families during and after disasters. She served as a responder to many disasters, including the 2011 Joplin tornado, the 2019 Jefferson City tornado, numerous flooding events and winter storms. She brings that experience to CES, hoping to encourage better cooperation between schools and their first responders to benefit the safety of students and educate schools in creating better overall school climate. She serves as a trainer for CES in several topics, including crisis communications, family reunification, and school/first responder collaboration in emergency planning. Deb is a trainer for FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI) in Emmitsburg, MD, and is a consultant Subject Matter Expert (SME) for FEMA and has assisted with revision of several FEMA trainings.