The Natural Hazards Center and the Gender and Disaster Network are happy to name Brenda D. Phillips as the 2010 Mary Fran Myers Award winner. The Mary Fran Myers award recognizes disaster professionals who continue Myers’ goal of promoting research on gender issues in disasters and emergency management.
Phillips work on gender is distinguished for both innovation and the holistic way in which she approaches the disadvantages faced by women in the disaster. Because these disadvantages are clustered with factors that compound female vulnerability, Phillips looks at gender as enmeshed in a wider pattern of disadvantage and discrimination. Her take on improving resiliency sees women not as potential victims, but as essential and untapped resources. Her research, much of which is framed by a social justice perspective, has been instrumental in spotlighting issues of domestic violence following disaster.
As a professor in the Fire and Emergency Management Program at Oklahoma State University, Phillips strives to ensure emergency responders are well-grounded in social vulnerability issues and is dedicated to instilling new professionals with a passion for building community disaster resilience. A senior researcher with the Center for the Study of Disasters and Extreme Events, she is among the first women worldwide to attain full professorship in an emergency management program. That accomplishment was thanks in part to the support and dedication of her colleague, Mary Fran Myers.
Phillips, a founding member of the Gender and Disaster Network, was recommended for this recognition based on prodigious writings, keen analyses, and an unstinting commitment to increasing gender and disaster knowledge. Her leadership—often behind the scenes—has enriched disaster scholarship, empowered students, and inspired a new community of practice.
For a more on the award and to see past winners, visit the Mary Fran Myers Award site.