The Emerging Professional Spotlight is a series designed to highlight and uplift the incredible people that are emerging in the field of disaster and emergency management (D&EM), Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), and related fields. The Emerging Professional Spotlight features current CRHNet EP members, or students and recent graduates (<3 years) of our member post-secondary institutions. 

This month’s Emerging Professional Spotlight is Zach Smith. Zach is a graduate student in the Master of Disaster and Emergency Management (MDEM) program at York University. He began his academic studies with an undergraduate degree in Ecotourism and Outdoor Leadership at Mount Royal University. During this time he discovered CRHNet while searching for future professional development opportunities. After completing his undergraduate degree, he spent two seasons as a wildland firefighter in Alberta. 

Zach is the outgoing President of the Disaster & Emergency Management Student Association (DEMSA) at York. A highlight of Zach’s time as President was working directly with students, developing a functional exercise and promoting further experiential education on disaster management to fellow students. He has spent the past summer working for CAN-TF2 | Canada Task Force 2 and is now completing a practicum with the Calgary Emergency Management Agency focusing on community preparedness. He is also planning to conduct research on the whole-of-society approach to disaster management in Alberta before completing his studies.

After completing his Master’s degree, Zach plans to stay in Alberta to focus on interoperability and community engagement in disaster management. He looks forward to working with the various partners and phases of comprehensive emergency management in order to create a more resilient life for all Canadians.