Emergency Management Director Named For Anne Arundel County

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Preeti Emrick has been named as the new director of emergency management for Anne Arundel County. She joined the office of emergency management in January 2020 as the department's deputy director. The office of emergency management coordinates resources and facilitates the mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery efforts of local, state, federal and non-governmental agencies for the county.

“Preeti has shown outstanding leadership during this pandemic,” said Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman in a statement. “Her familiarity with our county, her experience in hospital emergency management and her law training make her uniquely qualified to oversee our OEM team and guide our recovery from this pandemic. We thank Deputy Chief Tim Mikules for his extraordinary service as acting director. He will resume his duties at the fire department and continue as a highly valued member of the team.”

Emrick’s expertise includes emergency management operations, training, planning and health areas. She has served at state and local agencies, as well as the private sector facilitating and directing emergency responses in both planned and active incidents. She has worked previously with the University of Maryland Capital Region Health and University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security, She has published articles regarding public health disaster response and emergency management planning, and was an adjunct instructor of public health law and emergencies at the University of Maryland.

“I’m honored to be appointed to lead the county during the response and recovery of the various stages of this pandemic,” said Emrick. “I care deeply about this county and its citizens. And I’m passionate about emergency management and making sure we’re well prepared for the tough days ahead.”

OEM is charged with:

• Developing and maintaining a comprehensive emergency management program for all-hazards
• Coordinating emergency planning with county, state, federal and non-governmental agencies to protect life, property and the environment from the effects of natural and man-made disasters
• Mitigating the impact of hazards
• Preparing the community for disasters and terrorism
• Responding to emergencies when they occur
• Establishing recovery systems to return the county and its citizens to a normal state as soon as possible.