Dr. John Pennington

John Pennington

Program Director, Master's of Security & Disaster Management
Deputy Director, CASR
Assistant Professor, Homeland Security & Emergency Management
jepennington@alaska.edu
(907) 474-5797
222A, Bunnell Building

Research and Scholarly Interests

Emergency and Disaster Management, Indigenous Revitalization and Sovereignty, Arctic Disaster Resilience, Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Indigenous Knowledge Systems

Education

  • PhD, Indigenous Studies (Mellon Fellow), University of Alaska Fairbanks: How Alaska’s Tribes Participate in Government-to-Government Relations in a Post-Disaster Environment (2023)
  • Executive Leaders Program (ELP), Naval Postgraduate School-Center for Homeland Defense and Security (2013)
  • M.A., Emergency and Disaster Management, American Military University (2012)
  • B.S. Business Administration, California Coast University (2001)

Certifications and Credentials

  • Fellow: FEMA Vanguard Executive Leaders Crisis Fellowship (2022)
  • Certified Emergency Manager-CEM©, International Association of Emergency Managers (2015-2021; Recertified 2021-present)
  • Graduate-National Emergency Management Advanced Academy- Federal Emergency Management Institute (2017)

Related Scholarly Activities

Pennington, J. (2019, Oct.), Higher Education and Tribal Emergency Management. National Tribal Emergency Management Conference, Oneida Nation, Green Bay, WI

Pennington, J. (2018, Oct.), The Future of Emergency Management and the Emergency Management Professional. Oregon Emergency Management Annual Conference, Bend, OR

Pennington, J. (2014, Nov.), Mass Fatality and Flooding Events – 2014 Oso, Washington Disaster. British Columbia Emergency Preparedness and Business Continuity Annual Conference, Vancouver, BC

Pennington, J. (2014, Nov.), Washington State Route 530 (Oso, Washington) Catastrophic Landslide and Flooding Disaster. International Association of Emergency Managers Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX  

Pennington, J. (2014, Oct.), Catastrophic Landslide of 2014. North Carolina Emergency Management Association, Sunset Beach, NC

Pennington, J. (2002, Aug.), Official Testimony and Statement., U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, United States Senate, Committee on Appropriations, Anchorage, AK

Publications (Other)

Pennington, J., Respecting Tribal Emergency Management. Domestic Preparedness Journal, 14 Sep 2022

Pennington, J., & Bouffard, T. Homeland Security Should Prioritize Climate Security, Indigenous Primacy in its Arctic Strategy. Anchorage Daily News, 15 Sept 2021.

Hobbies

Outdoor Activities, Acoustic Guitar and Songwriting, Wandering

Courses Taught

  • HSEM F233: Critical Infrastructure Protection
  • HSEM F301: Principles of Emergency Management and Homeland Security
  • HSEM F423: Disaster Response Operations (Coordination) and Management
  • HSEM F605: Community Planning in Emergency Management
  • HSEM 690: Capstone Course for MSDM Program and Degree