Carolyn J. Harshman, CEM

Owner & President

Carolyn J. Harshman, CEM is a Certified Emergency Manager as conferred by the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM). Ms. Harshman was in FEMA Emergency Management Institute’s first cohort of the National Emergency Management Executive Academy as well as the first cohort of the Vanguard Crisis Leadership Fellows Program. She holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from San Diego State University. Ms. Harshman is Owner and President of Emergency Planning Consultants, a company she established as a sole proprietor in 1984 in response to a growing need for consulting services in the area of emergency management. EPC is a Certified Small Business providing plans, training, and exercise emergency management services to government entities (federal, state, local, and special districts). EPC specializes in hazard mitigation planning.

Ms. Harshman’s background with local government in land use planning and emergency management established her as a subject matter expert in the field of hazard mitigation, risk assessment, and emergency management including plans, training, and exercises. Plans have included emergency operations plans, hazard mitigation plans, pre-disaster recovery plans, continuity of operations plans, and debris management plans. Having written more than 150 FEMA-approved hazard mitigations plan, this is clearly EPC’s area of specialization. Training deliveries have included a spectrum of FEMA professional development and other resident and non-resident courses along with Incident Command System courses. In addition, she has designed and delivered hundreds of customized exercises including tabletop exercises, functional exercises, and full-scale exercises to agencies across the United States.

Supplementing her professional accomplishments, Ms. Harshman is very active in the International Association of Emergency Manager, serving in a spectrum of leadership positions culminating in IAEM-USA President (2021-2022). She is also an active member of the California Emergency Services Association and the National Hazard Mitigation Association.