Kyla Walsh
Watervliet
Summary
Organized, dependable, and community-driven public health professional with experience in emergency preparedness, COVID-19 response, and community engagement. Skilled in crisis coordination, public speaking, and cross-sector collaboration. Passionate about helping communities prepare, respond, and recover during critical times.
Highly skilled in emergency preparedness with background coordinating disaster response and crisis management activities. Strengths include comprehensive knowledge of federal, state, and local disaster policies, as well as exceptional planning and organizational skills. Previous work has resulted in improved emergency operations plans and increased community readiness.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Public Health Emergency Preparedness Coordinator
Albany County Department of Health
Albany
10.2022 - Current
- Facilitated community outreach programs to educate residents on emergency preparedness.
- Develop, update, and implement public health emergency preparedness and response plans in alignment with local, state, and federal guidance.
- Coordinate emergency preparedness activities with internal departments and external partners, including emergency management and healthcare stakeholders.
- Support emergency activations by coordinating logistics, staffing, and resource deployment.
- Track, document, and report preparedness core deliverables and compliance metrics, including required submissions in the HERDS system.
- Support planning, execution, and evaluation of trainings, drills, and exercises in accordance with Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) principles.
- Facilitate communication protocols to improve situational awareness and reduce emergency response timelines.
- Collaborate with surveillance, epidemiology, and clinical teams to support incident response and public health operations.
- Develop and support public-facing preparedness education and outreach initiatives to increase community readiness.
- Maintain partnerships to support mutual aid and coordinated response during public health emergencies.
- Provide technical guidance and operational support during public health incidents and planned events.
COVID-19 Case Investigation Lead
Albany County Department of Health
Albany
11.2020 - 10.2022
- Delivered COVID guidance to schools and congregate care facilities.
- Supervised daily operations and team coordination for investigation efforts.
- Reviewed surveillance data to identify clusters and respond quickly to outbreaks.
- Collaborated with clinical and epidemiological teams to streamline protocols.
COVID-19 Case Investigator
Albany County Department of Health
Albany
10.2020 - 04.2021
- Conducted frontline interviews for COVID-19 cases across the county.
- Delivered public health guidance and connected residents to support services.
- Carried out contact tracing and data collection under CDC and NYS guidelines.
Site Manager
Schools Out, Inc.
Delmar
09.2011 - 09.2019
- Led a team of 7 and managed daily programming for school-aged children.
- Coordinated community events and created outreach materials.
- Oversaw grant compliance and collected data on program impact.
- Conducted safety inspections and maintained a secure environment.
- Managed daily operations and logistics of educational programs for diverse groups.
- Supervised staff to ensure adherence to safety and operational standards.
- Coordinated schedules and activities for various after-school programs and events.
- Communicated effectively with parents regarding program updates and student needs.
- Oversaw inventory management of supplies and materials for educational activities.
Education
Public Health Essentials
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 12.2025 - 01.2026
B.S. - Emergency Preparedness
University at Albany
Albany, NYHomeland Security
Southern New Hampshire University
Manchester, NHA.A.S. - Independent Studies
Hudson Valley Community College
Troy, NYSkills
- Public Speaking
- Leadership
- Communication
- Community Outreach
- Policy Knowledge
- Cultural Sensitivity
- Public Health Awareness
- Emergency Logistics
- Database Management
- Collaboration
- Confidentiality
- Empathy
- Resilience
Certification
- FEMA: IS 100
- FEMA: IS 201
- FEMA: IS 230
- FEMA: IS 317
- FEMA: IS 700
- FEMA: IS 800
- FEMA: IS 1300
- FEMA: IS 2900
- NYNJ-201 Orientation to Public Health
Timeline
Public Health Essentials
Cornell University
12.2025 - 01.2026
Public Health Emergency Preparedness Coordinator
Albany County Department of Health
10.2022 - Current
COVID-19 Case Investigation Lead
Albany County Department of Health
11.2020 - 10.2022
COVID-19 Case Investigator
Albany County Department of Health
10.2020 - 04.2021
Site Manager
Schools Out, Inc.
09.2011 - 09.2019
B.S. - Emergency Preparedness
University at Albany
Homeland Security
Southern New Hampshire University
A.A.S. - Independent Studies
Hudson Valley Community College