gavin smith Research Professor Executive Director, Center for the Study of Natural Hazards and Disasters Executive Director, Department of Homeland Security’s Center of Natural Disasters, Coastal Infrastructure and Emergency Management. Office: 320 New East Phone: 919.606.5578 Fax: 919.962.5206 Email: gavin_smith@unc.edu

+ Ph.D. Texas A&M University
+ MS Texas A&M University
+ BS Texas A&M University

Curriculum Vitae

Expertise

Dr. Smith is the Executive Director of the Center for the Study of Natural Hazards and Disasters and the Department of Homeland Security’s Center of Natural Disasters, Coastal Infrastructure and Emergency Management.  The Center for the Study of Natural Hazards and Disasters, which is located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, focuses on conducting research associated with natural hazards and disasters and translating the findings to practice.  In this role Dr. Smith oversees the administration of the CSNHD including the identification of research opportunities, building partnerships among hazard scholars and practitioners and managing additional research initiatives and sub-centers as they emerge.  Dr. Smith also serves as the executive director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Center of Excellence for the Study of Natural Disasters, Coastal Infrastructure and Emergency Management.  The Center of Excellence research focus areas include: hazard modeling, engineering and infrastructure protection, human behavior, and land use planning.  Dr. Smith is currently engaged in planning-related research within the center, focused on a national evaluation of local and state hazard mitigation plans. 

Prior to accepting the position of Executive Director at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Gavin Smith served as a Principal in the firm PBS&J.  As one of 10 individuals designated as a principal professional within a 4,000 person firm, specific duties included the provision of high level policy counsel to governors, federal agencies, corporations, universities and nations regarding disaster recovery and hazard mitigation practice.  Following Hurricane Katrina, Dr. Smith worked in the Mississippi Office of the Governor, serving as the Director of the Office of Recovery and Renewal.  In this role, he and his staff focused on four primary tasks: the identification of federal, corporate, non-profit and foundation financial assistance; the provision of education, outreach and training to local governments and state agencies; providing counsel to the Governor, his staff and state agency officials regarding disaster recovery policy issues, and the implementation of the Governor’s Commission Report:  After Katrina:  Building Back Better than Ever.  In this role he testified before Congress twice, providing recommended policy changes to improve the delivery of post-disaster recovery and reconstruction activities.  He also developed the concept and wrote policy guidance associated with the 400 million dollar Alternative Housing Pilot Program, an initiative intended to test the construction and deployment of improved emergency housing alternatives following Hurricane Katrina. 

Research, Writing and Practice

Dr. Smith is an Associate Research Professor in the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and teaches courses in Disaster Recovery, Hazard Mitigation and Special Topics.  Dr. Smith is currently writing the text, A Review of the United States Disaster Assistance Framework: Planning for Recovery (Public Entity Risk Institute) and recently completed book chapters addressing the linkage between hazards analysis, planning and sustainable development. 

Dr. Smith served as the Senior Program Manager of the Planning and Grants Management group within the Risk and Emergency Management Division at PBS&J prior to his promotion to Principal.  Responsibilities included overseeing the development of state, local and university hazard mitigation and disaster recovery plans across the country and providing pre and post-disaster grants management and policy consultation services to local, state and national governments.  Prior to his employment with PBS&J, he was the Vice President of Professional Services at Durham Technologies, Inc.  In this capacity Dr. Smith assisted states and local governments with hazard mitigation and recovery planning, hazard identification, risk assessment, natural hazards loss estimation methodologies, gathering and analyzing data to aid in decision making and policy formulation, grants management technical assistance, and training.

Dr. Smith was employed with the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management from 1996 to 2002.  Dr. Smith held positions including National Flood Insurance Program planner, Mitigation Grants Management Coordinator and State Hazard Mitigation Officer.  During the last three years at the Division, Dr. Smith served as the Assistant Director for Hazard Mitigation.  In this capacity, Dr. Smith was responsible for the management of five branches: Grants Management, Risk Assessment and Training, Hazard Mitigation Planning, Floodplain Management, and the Real Estate/Legal Team.  Specific programs within the following branches include the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, Flood Mitigation Assistance Program, North Carolina Hazard Mitigation Planning Initiative, National Flood Insurance Program, North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Initiative, and the Earthquake Program.  During his tenure with the Division, the Mitigation Section administered mitigation and disaster recovery grant funds in excess of 800 million dollars associated with 10 Presidential disaster declarations.   Following Hurricane Floyd, Dr. Smith served as an advisor to Governor Hunt on policies and programs associated with long-term recovery in North Carolina.

Prior to working at the Division of Emergency Management, Gavin was a Research Associate at the Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center at Texas A&M University.  Work centered on several research projects including a nationwide review of search and rescue activities, and a national analysis of the level of coordination between local emergency managers and land-use planners.  During his four years at the Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center, Dr. Smith completed his Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning, specializing in environmental planning and policy, environmental dispute resolution and hazard mitigation.  Gavin also received B.S. and M.S. degrees in Sociology from Texas A&M University.  Areas of emphasis included urban sociology, the politics of urban development and demography.