Suzanne Frew – Emergency Management Consultant

Founder – President – Principal Consultant – Lead Facilitator

Suzanne L. Frew is an International Emergency Management Specialist Focusing on Inclusion, Equity, Accessibility and Cultural Competency for Highly Diverse Communities at Risk

Suzanne has been helping governments, businesses, and community organizations manage risk, build institutional capacity and improve communications for over three decades.

She has extensive expertise working with leaders of culturally diverse communities at risk to build cultural competency and inclusive policies, procedures, and practices grounded in inclusion, equity, and accessibility.

She has spent almost three decades working across different countries, states and jurisdictions, island territories, and tribal nations, helping people from hundreds of unique cultures from across the globe.

She specializes in applying innovative approaches to design thinking, serious gaming, storytelling, and cross-cultural communications to resilience and recovery planning, training and exercises, and communications outreach and engagement.

Suzanne has worked on the mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery related to virtually every type of natural and manmade hazard and disaster, from earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and fires, to terrorism, school shootings, and infectious disease.

Her life’s work is about seeing blind spots in helping others reach the unreachable, serving those who are high-risk and in the most need, being a cultural bridge builder between groups who don’t understand each other, and building a partnership table crafted to create long-lasting collaboration.

Suzanne Frew leads The Frew Group, a certified Woman-Owned Small Business and Woman Business Enterprise based in the United States, San Francisco Bay Area.

Suzanne is an adjunct instructor for social media in emergency management, leadership, and community resilience for the University of Hawaii’s National Disaster Preparedness Training Center (NDPTC).

Ms. Frew is a contributing author to four disaster resilience books and has written numerous professional articles – many are available in our Resource Library and Suzanne Frew on Academia.edu.

Suzanne is an international speaker, a keynote, and a prior FEMA IX PIO and Mitigation Marketing, Education, and Partnership Development Coordinator. She works throughout the U.S., Southeast Asia, Asia Pacific, the Caribbean, and Canada.

She is a member of the IAEM Diversity Committee, IAEM Technology Caucus, and a founding member of the Gender and Disaster Network. She holds an MFA from the Rochester Institute of Technology and a BA in Interdisciplinary Public Relations/International Social Welfare.

Through her consulting services, Suzanne Frew provides expert guidance and support to federal agencies, local, state, and federal governments, assisting them in the development of action plans and emergency preparedness strategies. She also conducts tabletop exercises and provides incident command system training to enhance emergency management services.

Suzanne Frew’s commitment to promoting inclusion, equity, and accessibility in emergency management has made her an invaluable asset to organizations and communities worldwide. With her extensive experience and unwavering dedication, Suzanne continues to shape the future of emergency planning and response, ensuring the safety and well-being of diverse communities in the face of adversity.

Learn more about Suzanne’s background story and mission →

Selected Samples of Suzanne Frew's Professional Experience

Communications / Outreach

S. Geological Society (USGS) Served as mentor to Bill Anderson Fund fellows and as local project coordinator for 2022-2023 Diversifying HayWired Communication Projects to develop innovative approaches to connect with marginalized communities that would likely experience disproportionate impacts from a large earthquake in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Bay Area Urban Area Security Initiative Communications equity and inclusion consultant for 2022 development of a 14-county Pandemic Communications Outreach toolkit. Developing the Translation Policy and Development Guide and the Guide for Engaging Hard-to-Reach Populations.
County of Santa Barbara Department of Emergency Management Developed a comprehensive bilingual communications messaging guide for the county’s 2022 Care and Shelter Plan update.
Social Media Roundtable. Convened the 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2013 social media and emergency management roundtable for researchers, academics, and practitioners at the International Natural Hazards Workshop hosted by the University of Colorado.
County of Maui Department of Planning. Led 2015 community outreach activities and co-developed a participatory game for creating innovative environmental policy guidelines, entitled “Post-Disaster Reconstruction Guidelines and Protocols for the Conservation of Coastal Resources and Protection of Coastal Communities of Maui County.” Specialized in inclusive outreach to diverse community members.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (Sacramento Field Office). Trained field agents on cross-cultural issues in outreach and community engagement.
FEMA, Mitigation Division, Region IX. Extensive leadership roles leading partnership development and outreach to public and private sectors and community members, mitigation education, and communications planning and training throughout the region’s state and island jurisdictions.
FEMA, Mitigation Division, Region IX. Served as the Mitigation Education and Marketing Branch Chief for the Northridge Earthquake response.
FEMA, Region IX. Regional Public Information Officer for ongoing agency public affairs, public relations events, strategies, and media relations. Spearheaded the production of informational/educational outreach, video documentaries, trade show exhibits, book series, regional newsletter, and numerous multi-media productions. Developed programmatic policies. Managed a cadre of twenty-five Public Information Officers and Congressional Liaison Officers.
FEMA, Region I. Served as a reserve Public Information Officer for disaster response and recovery operations for typhoons in the Western Pacific Ocean, producing multi-lingual, cross-cultural informational/educational products, communication strategies, and campaigns. Supported mitigation initiatives for regional disasters.
County of Santa Barbara Department of Emergency Management Leading development of a comprehensive bilingual communications messaging guide for the county’s Care and Shelter Plan. (current)
Social Media Roundtable. Convened the 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2013 social media and emergency management roundtable for researchers, academics, and practitioners at the International Natural Hazards Workshop hosted by the University of Colorado.
County of Maui Department of Planning. Led 2015 community outreach activities and co-developed a participatory game for creating innovative environmental policy guidelines, entitled “Post-Disaster Reconstruction Guidelines and Protocols for the Conservation of Coastal Resources and Protection of Coastal Communities of Maui County.” Specialized in inclusive outreach to diverse community members.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (Sacramento Field Office). Trained field agents on cross-cultural issues in outreach and community engagement.
FEMA, Mitigation Division, Region IX. Extensive leadership roles leading partnership development and outreach to public and private sectors and community members, mitigation education, and communications planning and training throughout the region’s state and island jurisdictions.
FEMA, Mitigation Division, Region IX. Served as the Mitigation Education and Marketing Branch Chief for the Northridge Earthquake response.
FEMA, Region IX. Regional Public Information Officer for ongoing agency public affairs, public relations events, strategies, and media relations. Spearheaded the production of informational/educational outreach, video documentaries, trade show exhibits, book series, regional newsletter, and numerous multi-media productions. Developed programmatic policies. Managed a cadre of twenty-five Public Information Officers and Congressional Liaison Officers.
FEMA, Region I. Served as a reserve Public Information Officer for disaster response and recovery operations for typhoons in the Western Pacific Ocean, producing multi-lingual, cross-cultural informational/educational products, communication strategies, and campaigns. Supported mitigation initiatives for regional disasters.

Emergency Management

Sacramento Area Council of Governments Serving as equity and inclusion Subject Matter Expert/consultant for the development of the 2023 Emergency Preparedness Strategy.
Solano County Office of Emergency Services Serving as equity and inclusion consultant for 2023 revision of Emergency Operations Plan and Annexes.
County of Santa Barbara (CA) Department of Emergency Management Served as equity and inclusion consultant for the development of the county’s Care and Shelter Plan.
Ramsey County, Minnesota
- COVID AAR: Served as equity and inclusion advisor and reviewer.
- Emergency Operations Plan update: Served as equity and inclusion advisor and reviewer.
County of Marin Served as equity and inclusion SME for 2021-22 updates to the Emergency Operations Plan and appendices.
County of Sacramento Served as equity and inclusion SME county’s 2021 EOP Care and Shelter Plan update. Developed communications outreach messaging for the 2021 Evacuation Annex update.
California State University Developed and conducted a 2021 social vulnerability risk assessment for high-risk, vulnerable populations and supported the development of the 2021 Hazard Vulnerability and Risk Assessment of the 23-campus system.
University of the Pacific Developed campus 2020 Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) Crisis Communications Annex and supported update to EOP.
County of Sacramento Developed the 2020 Drought and Climate Change Annex for Emergency Operations Plan. (Under review)
City of Albany, CA Led the development of the 2020 business disaster resilience plan, strategy, and guidebook. Providing ongoing support to city government and business leadership on the shutdown and reopening process in response to COVID-19.
Kitsap County, WA, Provided cultural competency review of the 2020 county emergency management plan and COVID-19 Recovery Plan developments.
City of San Jose and City of Sacramento Conducted the 2019 cultural competency review and supported revisions of disaster recovery base plans and annexes.
Port of San Diego Supported the development of the 2019 public information Concept of Operations (CONOPS) and Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) Communications Annex update. Planning documents focus on cultural competency and the social inclusion of diverse communities in planning and engagement.
University of the Pacific Supported development of the 2019 Multi-Year Training and Exercise Program and the continuity of operations leadership and crisis communications training.
Impact360 Alliance/University of Washington Led 2018/9 development and facilitation of design-thinking-based workshop and service development processes for emerging innovative initiatives connecting academic research and professional communities in natural hazards and disasters.
San Francisco Bay Area Urban Area Security Initiative Led or supported the development of a wide range of disaster resilience initiatives over multiple performance periods, including:
- Supported the development of Public Information training approaches.
- Developed cultural competency training elements for Commodity Points of Distribution (CPOD) multi-county training.
- Led local and state research, facilitator of stakeholder meetings, and team strategist for the development of the shelter annex of the Regional Emergency Coordination Plan (RECP).
- Served as a senior strategist for the development of Citizen Preparedness Program Capability Assessment and Plan program guidance and funding recommendations.
National Public Radio Led the 2018 review and revision of NPR’s companywide emergency response plan and the Hazard and Threat Handbook for CA compliance.
Paul’s Episcopal School Developed Oakland, CA-based elementary and middle school’s 2018 Emergency Operation Plan.
FEMA/Applied Technology Council Served on the management/author team of the FEMA/Department of Education’s 2017 School Safety Guide for Natural Hazards, the national state-of-the-art disaster preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery guide addressing K-12 grade school facility security, operational capabilities, communications, continuity of operations, community engagement and recovery.
City of Los Angeles. Wrote terrorism annex/public outreach sections of hazard mitigation plan and facilitated public meetings.
California Department of Social Services Co-developed the agency’s administrative Continuity of Operations/Continuity of Government Plan.
IBM Crisis Response Team Provided onsite response and shelter operations support for businesses and faith-based organizations in the Hurricane Katrina response. Supported the development of a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder program for the Government of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami response.
Crowding the Rim Partnership (Stanford University/ Circum-Pacific Council/US Geological Survey /American Red Cross). Project managed the international resilience education project addressing cascading health, economic, and infrastructure disaster impacts around Pacific Rim countries. The innovative initiative included a three-day summit attended by representatives from eight sectors from 22 countries, a game simulation, a high school educational module, and interactive hazards map database.
American Planning Association. Coauthored the Planning for the Unexpected: Land Use Development and Risk (PAS Report 531), a review of the strategic principles of risk management, approaches to city- and county-level review of land development applications, and how the processes of risk assessment, risk mitigation, and risk transfer can be integrated into the planning function.
FEMA, Mitigation Division, Region IX. Served in multiple capacities, including the Mitigation Education and Marketing Branch Chief, Deputy Mitigation Office, and Public Information Officer on response and recovery operations, and regional lead for private-private partnership development and networking with business and industry and community-based organizations.

Training and Exercise

Natural Disaster Preparedness Training Center, University of Hawaii Adjunct instructor/trainer for FEMA’s Climate Adaptation for Emergency Management, Community Resilience, Social Media for Disaster Response and Recovery, and Natural Hazards Awareness for Community Leaders. (Current)
Fairfax County, VA Department of Emergency Management and Security Developed the county’s 2021 Business Disaster Resilience and the Community Emergency Response Guide Train-the-Trainer programs, using a strong lens on equity and inclusion.
Port of San Francisco Served as equity and cultural inclusion consultant SME for the 2021 “deconstructed” earthquake Tabletop Exercise.
County of Sonoma (CA) Department of Emergency Management Developed and facilitated 2020 online trainings for PIO and EOC operations. Developed and conducted 2020 workshop series entitled “Public Safety Cultural Competency and Skills Development Workshop” for county stakeholders addressing diverse and emergent populations at risk.
Port of San Diego/Mozaik
- 2019 multi-jurisdictional soft target exercise: Served as an exercise developer and evaluator for cultural competency, equity, access, and functional needs, and public information elements.
- 2017 Recovery and Business Resumption Tabletop Exercise and Emergency Operations Workshop/Tabletop Exercise: Served as exercise developer, controller, facilitator, evaluator for exercise, After-Action Report (AAR), and Improvement Plan (IP).
New Mexico Public Health Department Led the development of the 2018 state Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Representatives and Department Operations Center (DOC) staff training programs and the conduct of Train-the-Trainer training. Served as team leader for the 2016 statewide Homeland Security Exercise Evaluation Program (HSEEP)-based TTX evaluating public/private health care facilities, emergency management, and first responder response to Ebola Virus Disease.
San Francisco Bay Area Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC)
- Evaluator for the annual regional transportation response and recovery coordination exercise of the MTC Regional Emergency Operation Plan and the Bay Area transportation agencies’ response to a region-wide terrorist attack.
- Project manager/subject matter expert for the research and development of the CBRNE informational elements of the Terrorism Annex of the MTC Regional Emergency Operation Plan.
California Department of Social Services Developer, facilitator, evaluator of terrorism TTX for internal staff based on a scenario using multi-bombing incidents on the state capital.
Bureau of Coastal and Environmental Quality Training program lead/primary trainer for the 2017 Major Siting Certification Program for large-scale land development/redevelopment projects, addressing building permitting processes, environmental impact assessments, and mitigation alternatives for the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Island (CNMI) government agency representatives and land developer agents/investors.
County of Maui Onsite consulting planner for 2014 Makani Pahili Statewide Hurricane Exercise. Developed and co-facilitated port operations TTX, multiple functional and full-scale exercises for the islands of Maui, Molokai, and Lanai.
California Department of Public Health. Developer/instructor of risk communications module, TTX, and hotwash facilitator for a three-yearlong statewide training program on weapons of mass destruction.
Golden Guardian. Exercise evaluator of the City of San Francisco’s Emergency Operation Center’s Joint Information Center and information outreach activities from surrounding counties.
Government of Vietnam. Team Leader for the development, implementation, and evaluation of the Government of Vietnam’s Natural Disaster Risk Management Project (NDRMP) Education and Training Program, a 2011 World Bank-funded training program for central and provincial level government officials (mitigation was a component of the training program.)
Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Instructor/course developer of a demographics training module for Terrorism Liaison Officers Training for School Networking
Asia Disaster Preparedness Center. Co-developer/instructor of Disaster Risk Communications training program for project managers of urban mitigation projects in twelve countries in Asia.
FEMA Emergency Management Institute Developed and trained Disaster Resistant Jobs: Strategies for Community, Emergency, and Economic Risk Management course for economic developers and emergency managers, incorporating approaches to support mitigation planning, funding, and community engagement.

Selected Publications

Role of Risk Communication in Community Resilience Building; Routledge Publishing, “Harnessing the Power of Social Media for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Mitigation Planning Process,” chapter author, Suzanne Frew: June 2019
“Teaching Key Elements of Decision Making Online for Homeland Security and Emergency Management,” article, Journal of Homeland Security Education, co-author, Clayton Wukich, Suzanne L. Frew, Alan Steinberg, Philadelphia, 2016
Social Media for Government: Theory and Practice; Routledge Publishing, “Social Media in Emergency Management: Examples from the Field,” chapter co-author, Suzanne Frew, Alisha Griswald: March 2016
“Listen, Respect, Adjust: Integrating Social Media Cross-Cultural Communications into Post-disaster Reconstructions Planning,” article, IAEM Bulletin, International Association of Emergency Managers: July 2015
“Teaching Key Elements of Decision Making Online for Homeland Security and Emergency Management,” paper, American Political Science Association’s Teaching and Learning Conference, co-author, Clayton Wukich, Suzanne L. Frew, Alan Steinberg, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, February 2014
Social Media for Natural Disaster Response and Recovery; FEMA course material; National Disaster Preparedness Training Center at the University of Hawaii, co-author, Dave Kozuki and Suzanne Frew: January 2012
“International Program on Climate Change and Variability Risk Reduction,” coauthor, poster presentation at the 35th Annual Hazards Research and Applications Workshop, Broomfield, Colorado, July 2010
Disaster Communications; course material for Vietnam’s Natural Disaster Risk Management Project Education and Training Program; Pacific Disaster Center and Vietnam Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, co-author, Erin Hughey, Heather Bell, Suzanne Frew, Margaret Roth: February 2010
“Search for the Tipping Point: Five Keys to Building Resiliency Success,” a paper and presentation at the Roundtable on Emergency Management and Resiliency Building, Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response, Public Health Agency of Canada, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, February 2008
“Harnessing the Power: San Francisco Bay Area Launches a Regional Public Informational Initiative,” article, International Association of Emergency Managers Bulletin: July 2007
“Crafting Cross-cultural Risk Communication Strategies,” invited essay, Real Risk, Tudor Rose: 2006
Planning for the Unexpected: Land Use Development and Risk; American Planning Association PAS Report 531, co-author, Laurie Johnson, Laura Samant, and Suzanne Frew: February 2005
“Respecting the Snowflake: A Global Perspective for Building Effective Risk Communications,” invited essay, Know Risk, Tudor Rose and United Nations/International Strategy for Disaster Reduction: January 2005
“The Differences Between Cats and Dogs: Considering the Social Cultural Dimensions of Communicating,” invited article, On The Line, “Natural Hazards Observer”, Natural Hazards Center: May 2004
“Asian Urban Disaster Mitigation Program Risk Communications Strategies Guidelines,” (unpublished), Asian Disaster Preparedness Center: March 2003
“Rim Sim: A Role-Play Simulation,” USGS Bulletin 2209, co-author, Robert C. Barrett, Suzanne L. Frew, David G. Howell, Herman A. Karl, and Emily B. Rudin; 2003
“Public Awareness and Social Marketing,” chapter, Proceedings: Regional Workshop on Best Practices in Disaster Mitigation, Bali, Indonesia: September 2002

Selected Presentations

“The Mileti Influence on the Emergency Management Profession,” workshop
presentation, International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) Annual
Conference, Grand Rapids, Michigan, October 2021
“Social Vulnerabilities and COVID-19,” Living & Leading through Pandemic: A Critical Thinking Series webinar, Rochester Institute of Technology, June 2020
“Business in the New Normal,” City of Albany and Solano Avenue Association COVID-19 business support webinar, May 2020.
“Carrot, Stick or Kumbaya: How Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is Changing the Future of Disaster Management and Community Resilience,” presentation, International Association of Emergency Managers Annual Conference, Savannah, GA, November 2019.
“Building Cultural Competence in Emergency Management,” keynote speech, 2018 Manitoba Disaster Management Conference, Winnipeg, Manitoba, October 2018.
“Meeting the Challenge: Building Inclusive Community Resilience,” guest lecture, Ethics, Values and Public Policy, Rochester Institute of Technology, September 2018.
“Ready to get social? Tapping Social Media’s Power to Reduce Risk and Drive the Mitigation Planning Process,” panel presentation, Floodplain Management Association Conference, Reno, Nevada, September 2018.
“Practicing Radical Inclusion: Bridging Cultural Divides for a Risk Resilient Hawai’i,” keynote presentation, 2018 Hawaii Conference on Language Access, Office of Language Access (OLA), Honolulu, Hawaii, August 2018.
“Cultural Competency in Emergency Management,” webinar, International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) Diversity Ad Hoc Committee, March 2018.
“Harnessing the Power of Social Media for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Mitigation Planning Process, Tech Talk, 2017 IAEM Annual Conference, Long Beach, California, November 2017.
“Building Trust and Engagement: Bridging Cultural Divides in Risk Communications,” individual presentation, 2017 IAEM Annual Conference, Long Beach, California, November 2017.
“Role of Social Media in Hurricane Harvey Response, radio interview, KCBS Radio San Francisco, August 2017.

“Opening Doors Through Social Media,” American Association of University Women (AAUW) Oakland/Piedmont Branch, Public Lecture, Oakland, CA, January 2017.

“Emergency Communications: Organize, Strategize, Plan, Implement,” co-presenter, National Association of Government Web Professionals 2013 Annual Conference, Louisville, Kentucky, September 2013.
“Breaking New Ground: Integrating Social Media into Your Business Practice,” presentation to the Maui County Dental Society, Kahului, Hawaii, July 2013.
“Social Media for Disaster Management” Online Lecture, Information Science Department, Otago Business School, University of Otago, New Zealand, January 2013.
“The Tubes Are Clogged: Disaster Messages via Social Media,” panel presentation at the 35th Annual Hazards Research and Applications Workshop, Broomfield, Colorado, July 2010.
“Averting the Tipping Point: Risk Communications for Swine Flu and Other Healthcare Emergencies,” a webcast, EIIP Virtual Forum Presentation, May 2009. http://www.emforum.org/vforum/090513.htm.
“Reality Check: Making our Risk Communication Investments Work,” a panel presentation at the Western State Seismic Policy Council Conference, Reno, Nevada, October 2007.
“Socio-Cultural Strategies for Multi-Disciplinary Risk Communications,” panel presentation, Crowding the Rim—Dealing with Energy Needs, Food, and Other Living Resources and Natural Calamities around the Pacific, Technical Session, Geological Society of America/American Association of Petroleum Geologists Joint Annual Meeting, San Jose, CA: April 2005.
“Innovative Techniques in Disaster Risk Communication,” Community and Ecology: The Intersection of Community Sociology and Environmental Sociology, International Sociological Association (ASA) Mini-Conference, San Francisco, CA: August 2004.
“Innovative Techniques in Disaster Risk Communication,” panel presentation, International Visual Sociology Association (IVSA) Annual Conference, San Francisco, CA: August 2004.
“I Talk. You Talk. Is Anyone Listening?” panel presentation, 30th Annual Hazards Research and Applications Workshop (invitational), Boulder, CO: July 2004.
“Developing Cultural Brokers: The Next Generation Challenge for Public Risk Communication,” panel presentation, 29th Annual Hazards Research and Applications Workshop (invitational), Boulder, CO: July 2004.
“Turning Data Into Intelligence: Social Marketing and Risk Communication,” plenary panel presentation, Emergency Management Higher Education Conference, FEMA/Department of Homeland Security, Emmitsburg, Maryland: June 2004.
“The Difference Between Cats and Dogs: Social Cultural Dimensions of Health Risk Communication,” lecture, Residents Research Seminar, Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI), Oakland, CA: May 2004.
“Breaking Barriers: Social Cultural Dimensions of Risk Communications,” panel presentation and proceedings paper, American Association for the Advancement of Science 2004 Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA: February 2004
“Educating Communities to Sustain Economic Health in the Face of Disasters,” proceedings paper, World Congress on Natural Disaster Mitigation, New Delhi, India: February 2004
“Economic Risk Assessment,” panel presentation, Risk and Vulnerability Applications and Networking Workshop, 30th International Symposium on Remote Sensing of the Environment, Honolulu, HI: November 2003
“Breaking Barriers: Designing and Implementing Cross Cultural Risk Communication Strategies,” new research workshop, Hazards Research and Applications Workshop (invitational), Boulder, CO: July 2003
“Risk Communication Strategies,” panel presentation, Symposium on International Disaster Response Law: Anticipating the Future, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA: March 2003
“Public Awareness and Social Marketing,” closing plenary speech and paper, USAID/ADPC Regional Workshop on Best Practices in Disaster Mitigation, Bali, Indonesia: September 2002
“Educating the Changing Face of America,” essay, Creating the EarthScope Legacy Workshop, Tucson, AZ: August 2002
“Keys to Successful Partnerships: An International Case Study,” panel presentation, Hazards Research and Applications Workshop (invitational), Boulder, CO: July 2002
“How Does the Changing Face of America Impact Land Use Planning and Risk Reduction,” panel presentation, Hazards Research and Applications Workshop (invitational), Boulder, CO: July 2002
“Crafting the Earth’s Tale,” poster and abstract, Earthscope Workshop, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado: Spring 2002
“Crowding the Rim,” panel presentation, Peninsula Geological Society, Stanford University, Stanford, CA: February 2001
“Developing Successful Partnerships,” panel presentation and proceedings paper, 2nd International Earthquake and Megacities Workshop, Manila, Philippines: December 1999

What people say about Suzanne:

"Suzanne is a longtime leader in innovative communications strategy and inclusive community engagement. She’s been a catalyst for instilling a vision for equity in the national drive for community risk resilience. From serving as an original pioneer with FEMA’s launch of the first national community resilience program (Project Impact) to developing federal courses to link economic and social resilience, Suzanne’s understanding of the needs of diverse populations breaks through traditional viewpoints with a fresh and pragmatic approach that works. Her contributions as an instructor, a facilitator, and an author get to the heart of why inclusion and diversity are so vital to the future of risk-reliance work."

Michele Steinberg

Wildfire Division Director, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)

"Suzanne Frew effectively and efficiently assisted the Bay Area UASI to build cultural competency principles within our training program to ensure inclusive practices that address the critical issues and needs of the region’s rapidly changing demographics and diverse populations."

Craig Dziedzic

Bay Area Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI)

"Suzanne is a master at creating community engagement that successfully brings together hard-to-reach groups. She brought integrity, professionalism and passion to our project that tackled sensitive issues of land use, climate change, and environmental vulnerabilities. Suzanne designed and spearheaded a multi-pronged outreach program across the islands of Maui County, using both traditional and non-traditional methods, and included innovative community workshops that deeply respected local Hawaiian culture and traditions and used a serious game to conduct research and build collaboration."

Jim Buika

Maui County Planning Department

"Over the last twenty years countless consultants pushing planning and preparedness for “people with special needs” and “vulnerable populations” have come and gone. Suzanne remains one of the few who really understands, values, and successfully integrates cultural competency and cross-cultural communication in the planning, response and recovery processes. She brings a unique set of skills to a very difficult conversation and a lasting commitment to vulnerable communities."