Elizabeth Melton
Senior Manager
Austin, TX
Elizabeth Melton is a member of CohnReznick’s Government and Public Sector practice focusing on emergency management services. With more than nine years of experience, her work supports communities in preparing for, recovering from, and increasing their resilience to disasters across the country.
Before joining CohnReznick, Elizabeth was the State Hazard Mitigation Officer and State Individual Assistance Officer for the South Carolina Emergency Management Division. In that role, she oversaw South Carolina’s administration of the Hazard Mitigation Program. This included hazard mitigation planning, managing the state’s hazard mitigation grant program including pre-disaster planning, and overseeing the submission of the state’s inaugural Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Grant Program.
As State Individual Assistance Officer, Elizabeth coordinated South Carolina’s support to individuals and households following a disaster. This involved implementing a full range of FEMA Individual Assistance Programs, shelter transition, and voluntary organization coordination. In addition to South Carolina, Elizabeth has helped Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Nebraska, and Oklahoma implement FEMA Individual Assistance Programs across 10 federally declared disasters.
- April 2020 – State Hazard Mitigation Officer, South Carolina Severe Storms DR-4542
- February 2020 – State Hazard Mitigation Officer, South Carolina Severe Storms DR-4479
- September 2019 – State Hazard Mitigation Officer, South Carolina Hurricane Dorian DR-4464
- June 2019 – EMAC IA Damage Assessment Trainer, Oklahoma Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding DR-4438
- May 2019 – EMAC IA Officer, Nebraska Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds and Flooding DR-4420
- February 2019 – EMAC IA Officer Support, Alaska Cook Inlet Earthquake DR-4413
- October 2018 – EMAC IA Officer Support, Florida Hurricane Michael DR-4399
- September 2018 – State IA Officer, South Carolina Hurricane Florence DR-4394
- August 2018 – EMAC IA Officer, Hawaii Kilauea Volcanic Eruption and Earthquakes DR-4366
- October 2017 – EMAC IA Officer, Florida Hurricane Irma DR-4337
- January 2017 – EMAC IA Officer Support, Georgia Tornado Outbreak DR-4294/4297
- October 2016 – State IA Officer, South Carolina Hurricane Matthew DR-4286
- October 2015 – State IA Officer and Night Shift Logistics Section Chief, South Carolina Severe Flooding DR-4241
Education
- MS, Emergency Management – University of Maryland University College
- BA, Russian Language and Culture – University of Maryland
Professional Affiliations
- International Association of Emergency Managers
- National Emergency Management Advanced Academy
- National Emergency Management Executive Academy