Fran Santagata
Fran Santagata is director of Emergency Management for Douglas County. Her role includes directing the Office of Emergency Management in preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation for all-hazards. Previously, Santagata served as the program administrator for the Denver Urban Area Security Initiative, a regional program funded through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Other positions in homeland security have included governor’s special assistant, homeland security and all-hazards coordinator, preparedness officer for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and senior program analyst at Science Applications International Corporation, Readiness & Response Division.
Before these positions, Santagata served as the safety officer for University of Colorado Hospital in Denver, where she was responsible for developing and implementing the hospital’s safety program, which included fire and life safety, hazardous materials management, and emergency preparedness. She was a member of the Colorado State Mass Casualty Planning Committee and is now Chairperson and former Vice Chairperson for the Douglas County, Colorado, Local Emergency Planning Committee. Santagata served as the administrative officer for the Colorado Disaster Medical Response Team/ National Medical Response Team. Santagata has presented nationally on homeland security-related topics at many national conferences. Santagata’s medical background includes 15 years as a medical technologist, 11 years as an exercise physiologist, and five years as an emergency medical technician.