Nandita Ravishankar

City, County, and Urban Resilience Engagements | Municipal, County, and International Partners

Task Lead, Evaluator, and Writer: local government innovation and resilience

• GCTF Connect: Urban Resilience 2.0, Civil-Military Integration Initiative (American Institute in Taiwan) | Senior Analyst and Writer: Co-author of the after-action report (AAR) for a nationwide, multi-city exercise; translating observations from international emergency management experts into actionable steps for local officials, covering medical evacuation, transportation resilience, emergency response, and continuity of operations.
• County of Santa Clara COVID-19 AAR | Vulnerable Populations Task Lead: Led data collection and writing work stream; developed interview guides and surveys for community organizations; synthesized community voice into actionable findings for underserved populations.
• New Orleans City-Assisted Evacuation Full-Scale Exercise | Evaluator and Report Co-Author: One of two evaluators assessing the city's capacity to execute its evacuation plan; observed participants, collected data on strengths and gaps, and co-authored the AAR and improvement plan.
• Snohomish County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan | Senior Analyst: Assessed the county's Vulnerable Population Transportation Plan Framework and conducted a gap analysis identifying concrete steps toward an executable no-notice evacuation plan.
• 58th Presidential Inauguration EOC Contingency Playbook (DC HSEMA) | Analyst: Researched and developed threat and hazard sections of a playbook guiding District of Columbia emergency operations personnel through initial response.

COVID-19 Detection and Mitigation for Confinement Facilities | U.S. Department of Justice

Lead Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Coordinator: $65M, 64 jurisdictions

• Led a nationwide TTA initiative to support 64 jurisdictions in planning and implementing COVID-19 detection and mitigation strategies, establishing new partnerships and strengthening coordination between public health agencies and their correctional partners.
• Directed cross-functional teams and partners supporting 64 Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) recipients in deploying approximately $65M in funding effectively, identifying recurring challenges, synthesizing insights, and improving consistency and equity of support to strengthen future public health preparedness.
• Established systematic intake and support processes through 48 one-on-one assessments with jurisdictions, facilitating connections among 75+ public health and correctional partners and fostering cross-system collaboration. Enabled 100% of participating recipients (63 total) to implement testing programs and expand efforts into 14 additional mitigation activities.
• Developed and delivered training resources, guidance documents, and technical tools that were replicated in subsequent federal public health preparedness initiatives.

Child Care Interstate Background Check Project | U.S. Department for Health and Human Services (HHS)

Deputy Project Director and Project Manager: National research and implementation efforts

• Led multiple national research efforts examining how child care background check systems affect workforce access, employment eligibility, and system efficiency, with a focus on identifying implementation challenges and unintended barriers.
• Designed and executed qualitative and quantitative research; developed data collection tools, led stakeholder interviews across states, and synthesized findings into policy-informing recommendations.
• Served as primary liaison and trusted advisor to federal clients and state leaders across multi-state engagements; translated findings into clear narratives for decision-makers.
• Co-authored published OPRE research brief; ensured 508 compliance across all deliverables.

National Background Check Program | Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services | HHS

Technical Assistance Analyst: $65M, 29 states

• Provided technical assistance to 29 states designing and implementing comprehensive background check systems for long-term care employees, translating federal requirements into state-level processes and helping states make effective use of nearly $65M in grant funding.
• Partnered with state and federal stakeholders to identify implementation challenges, surface interstate lessons learned, and improve consistency and effectiveness of background check systems across a diverse group of grantee states.
• Supported the National Forum for Background Checks — a platform for interstate discussion and knowledge-sharing among graduated NBCP states — and coordinated the NBCP Quarterly Bulletin to keep stakeholders informed of program milestones, emerging challenges, and best practices.
• Managed content and updates to the NBCP website (BGCheckInfo); ensured Section 508 compliance across all program documents.

Independent Research Contract: Climate Impacts on Older Adults

Deputy Project Manager: National research initiative

• Led and supported national research examining how climate-related extreme weather disproportionately affects older adults’ health, housing stability, and economic security, and whether federal and local programs meet their needs before, during, and after disasters.
• Integrated qualitative findings with national climate and vulnerability datasets (Social Vulnerability Index, NOAA) to identify populations and regions facing heightened risk; translated findings into recommendations to inform policy, equity-centered preparedness, resilience planning, and resource prioritization.

Disaster Recovery After-Action Reporting | Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Task Lead: Multiple Disaster Engagements

• Led end-to-end management of the Hurricane Helene After-Action Report (AAR) for South Carolina:
  designed data collection instruments, directed field interviews, guided analyst teams through coding
  and synthesis, and produced decision-ready findings for FEMA leadership.
• Synthesized cross-state findings into region-specific recommendations to strengthen future disaster
  operations, translating complex, multi-source data into clear narratives that inform structural change
  in how FEMA responds.
• Supported the Field Leadership Directorate Program (FLPD): used iterative stakeholder engagement
  and training needs assessments to update curricula and guidance for Federal Coordinating Officers. Served as Deputy lead for the COVID-19 Initial Assessments Report and led equity-focused analysis to identify service gaps and promising practices for underserved populations for future disaster operations.