Kenzie Appell-Lonis
Brooklyn,NY
Summary
Emergency management expert with various training and experience with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, specializing in Public Assistance and Mitigation grant development and delivery. Adept at grant management, program delivery, policy interpretation, financial reports and auditing, and maintaining relationships and good rapport with internal and external stakeholders.
Overview
7
7
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Emergency Management Specialist (Mitigation), BRIC Tribal Support Specialist
FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
08.2019 - 04.2025
- Worked in the Region X Mitigation as a Tribal Support Specialist under the FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure in Communities (BRIC) Grants Program
- Served as primary point of contact between underprivileged communities, mainly Tribal Nations, and FEMA, answered any policy questions, and kept an open channel of communication through follow-up meetings and email correspondence
- Followed chain of command to ask questions, report issues, and communicate concerns
- Sent Requests for Information (RFIs) to Sub-Applicant Points of Contact (POCs) to clarify questions about Sub-Applications
- Reviewed State, Local, and Tribal Hazard Mitigation Plans
- Worked with Sub-Applicants to provide Direct Technical Assistance (DTA) for Sub-Applications that needed specialized expertise at no cost to the Sub-ApplicantFormulated projects and ensured all damaged identified by the Applicant were addressed and adequately detailed in the project with all supporting documentation
- Engaged in special considerations (EHP, 406 Mitigation, etc.) as soon as potential opportunities or concerns arose; discussed potential Hazard Mitigation opportunities with the Applicant
- Utilized comprehensive risk analysis to identify, assess and manage emergency management risks.
- Conducted Exploratory Calls (EC), Recovery Scoping Meetings (RSM), and Recovery Transition Meetings (RTMs)
- Worked with Consolidated Resource Center (CRC) to answer Requests For Information (RFIs) in a timely manner
- Gathered from Applicant all required documentation to enable FEMA to write grants so the applicant can be returned to their Pre-Disaster condition as soon as possible. Collects documentation and passes it through to the Consolidated Resource Center (CRC) in order for the grant to be written. Responsible for uploading this documentation into the Grants Manager for use by the CRC.
- Conducted Recovery Transition Meetings (RTMs) after project obligation to transition the Applicants to their Recipient and begin the closeout phase
- Collaborated with stakeholders to prepare plans and procedures to respond to emergency scenarios.
Corps Member/Public Assistance Specialist, PDMG, Site Inspector, and Planning Specialist
AMERICORPS NCCC FEMA CORPS
04.2018 - 07.2019
- Assisted in daily tasks using software such as ArcGIS, Esri, and FEMA’s WebEOC
- Worked with the JFO’s Direct Housing to produce Housing Solution Laydown map products using ArcGIS
- Produced Incident Action Plan (IAP) Incident Facilities map for weekly Incident Period end dates
- Coordinated contingency operations for upcoming hurricane season. Identified evacuation routes, shelter locations, landing zones, distribution centers, critical infrastructure, and vulnerable areas
- Assisted in assessing the local capacity to respond to and recover from future disaster by employing various methods of research and analysis
- Maintained general awareness of all limitations and accomplishments in the division to manage the expectations of local authorities
- Trained and utilized interpreters in Spanish and American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate effectively with local stakeholders and survivors
- Assisted in the accountability and management of federal resources assigned in the division by developing weekly plans, after action reports, and sharing best practices
- Gave presentations to students at job fairs about the benefits and lifestyle within the program
- Set up information booths and answered questions about AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA Corps as well as other programs under the Corporation for National and Community Service
- Lived, worked, and traveled with a team of 7 Corps Members and one Team Leader
- Attended weekly team meetings to communicate, resolve, and overcome obstacles presented during the previous week
- Used Microsoft Excel and its formulas to create individual sheets for each state’s sites
- Oversaw the organization, filing, and proper disposal of receipts according to a schedule
- Moved supplied using palette jacks and forklifts
- Canvassed door to door to help survivors register for federal assistance with the National Emergency Management Information System (NEMIS)
- Dropped Assess, Inform, and Report (AIR) points on a grid map using Collector on iPads to more quickly assist the Joint Field Office with tracking
- Worked in a Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) to aid survivors with registration for FEMA support
- Assisted with the creation of reports on hours worked and goals accomplished within the previous week
Education
Bachelor of Science - Public Policy Analysis
University of Texas At Tyler
Tyler, TX03-2018
Skills
- Hazard mitigation
- Interagency collaboration
- Disaster response
- Nonviolent crisis intervention
- Organizational skills
- Operations management
- Damage assessment
- Strategic planning
- Grant administration
- Grant writing
- Disaster planning
Certification
● IS-100, IS-200, IS-300, IS-400, IS-700, IS-800, IS-01000 – IS-01027
● Elements of Supervision (0603) – June 2020
● Public Assistance Site Inpector (0865) – January 2020
● Public Assitance Program Delivery Management (0869) – January 2020
● Fundementals of Management and Support Coordination of Federal Disaster Operations (IS0822) – August 2019
● Applications of GIS for Emergency Management (IS0922) – August 2019
● Esri - Getting Started With GIS – June 2019
Esri - Getting Started With Data Management – June 2019
● Esri – ArcGIS Pro Basics – June 2019
● Esri – Managing Raster Data Using ArcGIS – June 2019
● CPR and First Aid – February 2019
● FEMA ArcGIS (0190) – February 2019
● FEMA Grants Manager – March 2019
● FEMA Public Assistance – March 2019
● FEMA Logistics – July 2015
● FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance – September 2015 ● FEMA Individual Assistance – September 2015
LANGUAGE SKILLS
English: Spoken: Fluent Written: Fluent Read: Fluent
Spanish: Spoken: Beginner Written: Beginner Read: Intermediate
RECOGNITIONS
BRANCH 4 DR-4339-PR CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION January 2021 "Please accept this Certificate of Excellence as a small token of appreciation for your high level of professionalism, excellent communication / organization skills, sense of purpose on everything you do, and outstanding customer service (internal/external). I wish I could present you with this certificate personally, but due to this virtual environment, I have no other choice but to email it to you electronically. Keep up your good work and I wish you the best with your future endeavors." -Frank Cintrón, PAGS DR-4552-MO, BRANCH 4 DR-4339-PR CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION May 2019 Awarded by Japhet Cintrón, Branch Director, in recognition of outstanding service and exceptional work within the branch’s Public Assistance Cadre., PRESIDENT’S VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARD, GOLD April 2016 The President’s Volunteer Service Award is a civil award bestowed by the President of the United States. The award was established to honor volunteers that give hundreds or thousands of hours per year helping others. Awarded for devoting 2,000 hours to volunteer service., CONGRESSIONAL SERVICE AWARD, BRONZE April 2016 The Congressional Award is an award for young Americans, established by the United States Congress in 1979 to "recognize initiative, service, and achievement in young people." The Congressional Award recognizes the setting and meeting of goals in four program areas: voluntary public service, personal development, physical fitness, and expedition/exploration.
Timeline
Emergency Management Specialist (Mitigation), BRIC Tribal Support Specialist
FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
08.2019 - 04.2025
Corps Member/Public Assistance Specialist, PDMG, Site Inspector, and Planning Specialist
AMERICORPS NCCC FEMA CORPS
04.2018 - 07.2019
Bachelor of Science - Public Policy Analysis
University of Texas At Tyler