As communities continue to navigate the 2026 wildfire season, emergency managers are confronting evolving challenges in preparedness, response, recovery, and resilience. This September, in recognition of National Preparedness Month, join SPA alum and former FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell for the first installment of SPA’s 2026–2027 First Friday Breakfast Series. The program will feature a moderated conversation with Dr. Deserai Anderson, co-director of the Center for Community Safety and Resilience, exploring what the 2026 wildfire season reveals about community response and disaster relief policy. Together, they will discuss lessons learned from recent disasters, the importance of equitable response and recovery, and how proposed changes to FEMA may shape the future of emergency management.
In person
Terrace Room (2nd floor), Lawrence Street Center
1380 Lawrence St, Denver, CO 80204
Virtual
Zoom
Program
Friday, September 4, 2026
8:30 – 8:45 am
Check-in and breakfast buffet for in-person attendees
8:45 – 10:00 am
Programming for in-person and virtual attendees
Moderator
Deserai Anderson, PhD
Professor and Alumna, CU Denver School of Public Affairs | MPA, 2001
Program Director, Doctor of Philosophy in Public Affairs
Co-Director, Center for Community Safety and Resilience
Dr. Deserai Anderson is a Professor in the University of Colorado Denver’s School of Public Affairs, where she researches community resilience to climate risks and disasters, with a focus on vulnerability, recovery, policy, and cross-sector collaboration. She directs the Doctoral Program and co-directs the Center for Community Safety and Resilience. Dr. Anderson holds a PhD in Environmental Policy from Duke University, an MPA from CU Denver, and a B.S. in Journalism from CU Boulder.
Featured Speaker
Deanne Criswell
Former FEMA Administrator; Lecturer and Alumna, School of Public Affairs | MPA, 2006
Deanne Criswell is an experienced emergency management professional and the 12th Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). She was sworn in as FEMA’s first female Administrator on April 26, 2021, under President Joe Biden.
As FEMA Administrator, Deanne focused on making disaster response more equitable, addressing climate-related risks, and improving coordination with state, local, tribal, and territorial governments.
Before leading FEMA, she served as the Commissioner of the New York City Emergency Management Department, where she played a pivotal role in managing large-scale emergencies in complex urban environments, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
Most recently, Deanne served as a Senior Fellow at Yale University, teaching a graduate level course on crisis leadership, emergency management, and national resilience.
She also served as the Emergency Manager for the City of Aurora, Colorado, where she led the city's emergency preparedness, response, and recovery programs. Additionally, she served in the Colorado Air National Guard for over two decades, bringing military expertise to crisis management.
About the First Friday Breakfast Series
Our signature First Fridays with the School of Public Affairs event series covers a wide range of pressing issues and features panelists representing a diversity of viewpoints. The events are held in person and virtually most months during the fall and spring semesters. These gatherings are nonpartisan and designed for learning and dialogue. Speakers share their own views, not official positions of the School of Public Affairs or CU Denver. Our aim is always to provide context and multiple perspectives to deepen understanding.
CU Denver Security and Safety Information
The security and well-being of our campus community is absolutely our top priority. We continue to do many things to ensure the campus is safe for our students and community. If you would like to receive emergency notifications for the Auraria Campus, please text “Auraria2026” to 67-283. Your enrollment will last until Dec. 31, 2026, unless you opt out sooner. If you are on campus after this date and would like to receive alerts, please contact us and we will provide the latest keyword to sign up again.