• Bachelor’s Degree from Loyola University New Orleans in Psychology
• Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the Georgia State University, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

Certifications

• Certified Emergency Manager (CEM), certified by the International Association of Emergency Managers.
• Certified Master Exercise Practitioner (MEP), certified by the Department of Homeland Security.
• Certified Continuity of Operations Planner, certified by the Department of Homeland Security.

Ms. Willis specializes in all-hazard disaster planning and training, as well as exercise design, conduct and evaluation. She has held diverse positions in emergency management, in both the public and private sector, to include:

• Planning Chief for the Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency in Atlanta, Georgia.
• Statewide Planner for the Georgia Emergency Management Agency in Atlanta, Georgia.
• Adjunct Professor for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
• Program Manager for URS, EG&G Homeland Security Division, assigned to the Georgia Division of Public Health, Emergency Exercise, and Preparedness Program in Atlanta, Georgia.
• Business Continuity Consultant for Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) assigned to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia.
• Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS) Program Manager for the City of Tampa.

Her extensive background in Emergency Management includes:

• Emergency operations plan development.
• Emergency Operations Center workflow design, operations management and staffing.
• Exercise design, execution and evaluation. 
• Exercise program direct support to a variety of all-hazard exercise programs in Georgia, Tennessee, Massachusetts, South Carolina and Florida.

The Office of Emergency Management, under Ms. Willis’s direction, is hallmarked by her vision, her energy, and her dedication to emergency preparedness.