Meet Lisa Tatum Brown | Emergency Management Professional

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lisa Tatum Brown and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lisa Tatum, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
The past few years taught me a great deal about balancing work and life. Speaking as an Emergency Manager who played a role in trying to protect the community during COVID-19, life was work. For several years there were long days and weeks and years of focusing a lot of attention on work. Once things began to slow, I knew that I needed much more of a balance for my personal health and for the health of my family. Now I try to be aware of the cost of saying “yes” and how that impacts others much more than I did before.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I proudly serve as an Emergency Management professional. Many do not know what this means. It is a profession born out of chaos. We’re the people who try to keep bad things from happening and from getting worse when they do happen. It is a growing profession that I sort of fell into without really intending to. My first disaster relief assignment was with the American Red Cross, I drove a forklift in a blimp hanger and managed logistics to get supplies to people impacted by severe flooding outside of San Francisco for a month. Several years later I met two ladies at an AmeriCorps training who worked for the American Red Cross, I was looking for a job and they were looking for someone to help them with logistics. I served the Dallas Area Chapter for 5 1/2 years and learned a lot about disasters from the front lines- operating shelters, driving emergency response vehicles providing food directly to those impacted by hurricanes, and managing volunteers doing incredible work to help communities. A few years later, I took a position with the local volunteer center (now called VolunteerNow) to help the unique collaboration called the Mass Care Task Force. This group was designed to help leverage the strengths of four organizations (VolunteerNow, The American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, and the North Texas Food Bank) in feeding and sheltering when there was great need in North Texas. It was this role that helped me start to connect to the larger Emergency Management Community. I served for six years growing the program and helping integrate the nonprofit and the community. Later, Dallas County was looking for someone to help them with their volunteer management plan and I took the role with eagerness to learn. And learn I did, for six years I built and strengthened the capability for the Emergency Managers in the North Texas Region to work with each other and the nonprofit community. It was in this role that I began to formalize my profession by becoming a Certified Emergency Manager and obtained my Masters degree in Emergency Management and Homeland Security. I also began teaching FEMA courses to others through the Texas Division of Emergency Management and mentored many interns (45 interns in 6 years). I now serve as a Project Manager for IEM in their State and Local Preparedness Division and have clients across the country that I serve. My projects are specialized and rely upon the experiences and expertise that I have gathered throughout my journey.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The North Texas area has a lot to offer. While it would depend on the season and the friend, There are many festivals and activities spread throughout the year. I like the Plano Balloon Festival, the Richardson Cottonwood Art Festival, Grapevine for the Gaylord Texan Christmas activities (including ICE!) and Great Wolf Lodge. So the season does matter a bit.

I love White Rock Lake and the Arboretum for a little outside exploration. North Texas has some wonderful hiking areas like Cedar Ridge Preserve, Cedar Hill State Park, River Legacy, Duck Creek in Garland. For a time I helped build some trails and did environmental work in North Texas and I try to explore the trails and natural areas in each community.

Many of my friends are service-oriented, so I might find a volunteer activity for us to do. If it is around my birthday I might look for for an MLK day of Service activity or make my own. Some favorite volunteer organizations include the North Texas Food Bank, the American Red Cross, Owenwood Farm and Neighbor Space, Paul Quinn’s We/Me Farm, City Square, and VolunteerNow. Sometimes I would use the voly.org website to find unique opportunities that fit with our schedule.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My life is the accumulation of support I have received from those people I have met along the way. My strength comes from my family (Meme, Mom, Rhea, Kelly) who worked hard to make sure I felt like I could find success in life. My love of service I found in AmeriCorps and was encouraged by a great many members and mentors (Dhriti, Jonathan, Amber, Millicent). My dedication and growth in my Emergency Management profession led me to learn from the best (Molly, Sarah, Destiny, Tiffany, Cassandra, Jimmy, Larry, Dave, Maribel, Ferrule). I must also give credit to my wonderful husband Kevin and my kids Leena and Julius who have made life much more interesting than I ever imagined.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/americorpsguru/

Twitter: @tatum5472

Other: www.iem.com www.voly.org

Image Credits
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