The Mid-Atlantic Center for Emergency Management & Public Safety (MACEM&PS) at Frederick Community College (FCC) provides academic and career credentials, professional services, and community engagement, and serves as a resource to meet the challenges of a prepared and resilient nation.
Mission
The Mid-Atlantic Center for Emergency Management & Public Safety participates in outreach activities, provides education, training, and development in all phases of emergency management, and engages in professional services to engender effective preparedness solutions to real-world challenges.
Vision
To be a preferred partner and resource for all entities, public or private, in meeting challenges in all phases of emergency management.
Core Capabilities
Education: The Mid-Atlantic Center for Emergency Management & Public Safety provides academic credentials including Letters of Recognition, Certificate, and Associate of Applied Science degrees. Through a unique partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Emergency Management Institute, the Mid-Atlantic Center for Emergency Management & Public Safety serves as the sole provider of college credit to those completing FEMA online Independent Study courses. Frederick Community College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 1007 North Orange Street,4th Floor, MB #16, Wilmington, DE 19801, (267) 284-5000, and its programs are endorsed by the Maryland Higher Education Commission.
Service: The Mid-Atlantic Center for Emergency Management & Public Safety engages in community service designed to foster a positive, collaborative, prepared, and resilient environment within and outside the emergency management community.
Training & Content Development: The Mid-Atlantic Center for Emergency Management & Public Safety, by affiliation with Frederick Community College, through its partners and a variety of agreements, develops innovative course content and provides professional training in emergency management. Business consortium training and related business research are conducted by highly qualified personnel.
Professional Services: The Mid-Atlantic Center for Emergency Management & Public Safety provides a broad range of professional services for public and private sector workers nationwide. The experts at the Mid-Atlantic Center for Emergency Management & Public Safety develop solutions through strategic planning and development, research, and management of operations to achieve goals and objectives.
Core Values
- Honor
- Education
- Innovation
- Service
Leading the Way to a More Resilient Nation!
Solid Performance Today
- Administers a robust prior learning assessment program serving students in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and military deployments globally through a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Emergency Management Institute subcontract.
- Serves as the Post-Secondary Affiliate to the Maryland State Department of Education, Career and Technology Education Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Pathway since 2013. Provides curriculum development, review, and revision, as well as provides professional development to Maryland’s high school teachers in the program areas of homeland security and emergency preparedness, administration of justice, and communications and information technology.
- Provides contract support to the Maryland Emergency Management Agency in the areas of leadership, planning, and mitigation.
- Facilitates professional development sessions for College personnel regarding emergency preparedness and adult education.
- Provides academic support to two Emergency Management Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degrees, Certificate, and Letters of Recognition.
- Developed and is currently delivering U.S. Department of Homeland Security-certified classroom courses. Through this opportunity, MACEM instructors are leading public and private sector leaders nationwide to expand their critical networks, develop a common agenda, address complex social problems, and use common measures of success.
In the face of an emergency, community resilience relies heavily on planning, preparation, and knowledge. The Mid-Atlantic Center for Emergency Management & Public Safety (MACEM&PS) at FCC provides essential knowledge for professionals to prepare for, respond to, and recover from local disasters and emerging threats in today’s world.
MACEM&PS collaborates and partners with national, regional, state, and local organizations to enhance education and training in emergency management. Our partners include:
Mid-Atlantic Center for Emergency Management Staff
Kathy L. Francis, MS, CEM, MDPEMP
Executive Director of Emergency Management Programs
Mid-Atlantic Center for Emergency Management & Public Safety, Frederick Community College, Frederick, MDKathy L. Francis currently serves as the Frederick Community College Executive Director of Emergency Management Programs, adjunct faculty, and leads the Mid-Atlantic Center for Emergency Management & Public Safety (MACEM&PS).
Kathy Francis leads the MACEM&PS to develop and deliver specialty courseware in emergency management and serves as the Post-Secondary Affiliate for Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness for the Maryland State Department of Education Career and Technology Programs. In March of 2016, Kathy earned a Certificate of Completion in Crisis Leadership in Higher Education from the Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government. She also earned a MS in Management with the Johns Hopkins University Police Executive Leadership program in May of 2012.
Ms. Francis served with the Frederick County Government in the Division of Emergency Management. She has extensive experience in all phases of emergency management, including the execution of large mitigation projects, continuity of operations planning, emergency operations planning, hospital evacuation planning, exercise design and evaluation, and response and recovery operations during four Presidentially-declared disasters. She is well known for her work to prepare vulnerable populations for emergency or disaster. She is a national conference speaker and has authored professional articles in national publications. As a leader of a FEMA Higher Education Special Interest Group, she promotes collaboration, connection, and commitment between the Emergency Management Higher Education Program and two-year college emergency management program managers nationwide.
Ms. Francis is an International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) and a certified Maryland Professional Emergency Manager (MDPEMP). Kathy served as the Senior Crime Analyst with the Sanford Police Department in Sanford, Florida. Ms. Francis attained her Florida Law Enforcement Analyst Certification from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement/DHS.
In her spare time, Kathy is a certified yoga instructor RYT200 and provides training to local studios and fitness centers. She enjoys boating, spending time with family, and raising an energetic Golden Retriever.
Student Testimonials
- "I have done a lot of training with CDP and EMI. I found this program was the best option, the best way to get started to excel in the industry. The presentation and relevancy of the curriculum is up to date and viable. I would strongly encourage anyone seeking or expanding a career in EM or Safety Management to begin their endeavor at FCC with the EM Program."
– Daniel Scott
- "After graduating with an A.A.S, I earned my bachelor’s degree and will soon obtain my master’s degree in emergency and disaster management. With much success, it would be an honor to teach at FCC, the college that introduced me to emergency management.”
– James E. Buttleman
- "A fulfilling distance learning educational experience second to none. The online opportunity is invaluable – the availability of FCC staff and professors is magnificent and the cost of the program is very economical without sacrificing quality! I would strongly encourage anyone seeking or expanding a career in EM or Safety Management to begin their endeavor at FCC."
– Joel "JR" Ross
- "I started at FCC at age 55 and earned an Emergency Management Certified Emergency Manager Certificate. It provided the foundation to launch my career at the state level. I now work for the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) and earned the State of Tennessee’s highest certification for Emergency Management."
– Mike Harris, CEMP-TN, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency
- "I really appreciate everyone’s assistance – and I saved money in the process! This was tremendously helpful."
– Joseph Gamatoria
- "Thank you again for everything, especially the guidance to move forward to reach my educational goals."
– Jason Kilgore
- "Thanks for always working hard to research and provide the best and most updated and recognized certification in this field. You and your team are terrific. What a wonderful opportunity to have such excellent expertise lead our Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness program. You are THE BEST and I wanted to share my experience with you. Thanks for all of your hard work."
– Jeanne-Marie Holly, Program Manager
Career and Technology Education Systems Branch, Maryland Department of Education