Lauren Morgan

Experience

Mrs. Lauren Morgan has over 20 years of professional work experience in Homeland Security and Emergency Management. A Florida native, Lauren graduated from Florida State University (FSU) and entered Office Candidate School (OCS) at Fort Benning, GA where she was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant and served as a transportation officer for the US Army. Following her service, Lauren's career in Louisiana began as the Operations Officer for the Southern Anti-Terrorist Regional Training Academy (S.A.R.T.A) out of Carville, Louisiana, providing counter-terrorism training to hundreds of law enforcement officers and other first responders throughout the country. After working response efforts during Hurricane Katrina through the Louisiana Military Department, Lauren accepted a position with the Louisiana Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) in 2006 as the State Exercise Officer. Her time at GOHSEP included overseeing multiple branches, programs, and grants, eventually serving as the Preparedness Section Chief. As Section Chief, Lauren directed all Homeland Security and Emergency Management Planning, Training, Exercise, CI/KR, State Radiological Group, and Intelligence Branches for Louisiana. Under her guidance, GOHSEP developed and delivered the largest and robust Exercise Programs to date. She was selected to represent FEMA Region 6 and Louisiana on the National Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) Working Group and served in that role until departing GOHSEP for SDMI in 2012. Her time at GOHSEP also included emergency response roles to Hurricanes Rita, Gustav, Ike, BP Oil Spill, Mississippi River Floods, and other statewide events. In her current role as Associate Director at SDMI, Lauren oversees all institute projects and programs related to emergency management and the teams supporting them. She works alongside the SDMI Director and serves as the institute liaison to clients on all projects involving technology integration/development of decision support tools. She is an active member of the Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Association (LEPA) and the Gulf of Mexico Area Maritime Security Committee (GOM AMSC).

In her spare time, she and her husband Adam have a love for overseas travel, marathons, cycling, and ironman.

Certifications

• HSEEP Train the Trainer
• ICS 300/400 Train the Trainer
• ICS/IS 100/200/700/800
• FEMA Master Exercise Practitioner, MEP
• FEMA Advanced PIO Train the Trainer
• FEMA Professional Development Certificate
• Fluent in Sign Language