U. creates new position for emergency procedures

The University has created the position of associate director for emergency preparedness planning in order to begin a thorough review of existing emergency response plans and protocols in mid-April. Current senior human resources manager Rhonda Hospedales has been appointed to fill the new position in the Office of the Executive Vice President.

While the University regularly reviews emergency and procedure protocols following natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy and other emergency situations, this more comprehensive review will take one to two years, Director of News and Editorial Services Daniel Day said.

Day explained that the review will start in mid-April, when Hospedales takes up her new post, and will allow for a more collective review that evaluates cooperation and coordination between various University resources.

Four main University departments — Environmental Health and Safety, University Services, the Department of Public Safety and the Facilities Department — will be involved in the project.

Hospedales and administrators in these departments deferred comment to the Office of Communications when contacted by The Daily Princetonian.

These departments, in coordination with Hospedales, will look into the University’s preparedness for all types of situations, including weather and natural disasters, crime prevention and response and environmental issues, such as air quality and water quality, Day explained. He added that the review process may even involve looking into network security for the computer systems on campus.

In her current position in the Office of Human Resources, Hospedales works closely with a wide range of campus departments and administrators, including Facilities, Environmental Health and Safety and the Department of Public Safety, Day said.

As part of her HR duties, Hospedales is currently an “Employee & Labor Relations Team Contact” for several University offices, including the Office of the Executive Vice President, the office that will soon supervise her in her new job.

According to her profile on the HR website, Hospedales joined the University in 2008 and is currently a member of the Clients Services Team where she “provides employee and labor relations consultation services to Princeton’s management, employees and unions.”

She holds a law degree from Indiana University Bloomington.

Working in conjunction with Hospedales, an “emergency preparedness review steering committee” will be created as a subcommittee of the existing Emergency Preparedness Task Force and will review existing procedures and protocols, according to the EPTF website.

Formed in 2001, the task force consists of “fairly wide-ranging group of University officials that review public safety operations and the general well-being of the campus,” Day explained.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

The steering committee will be chaired by Assistant Vice President for Safety and Administrative Planning Charlotte “Treby” Williams ‘84, and will consist of five members, representing the four main University departments that are involved in this project. The members will be Director of the Office of Environmental Health and Safety Robin Izzo; Assistant Vice President for Facilities, Operations Roger Demareski; Executive Director of Public Safety Paul Ominsky; Director for Operations, Public Safety Stefanie Karp; and Executive Director of Campus Services and Planning Amy Campbell.