Olivia Vilá

Olivia Vilá is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management in the College of Natural Resources at North Carolina State University. She received her bachelor's degree in psychology from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, and her master's degree in geography from Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John's, Canada.

Vilá's work aims to strengthen communities’ ability to recover from disasters and mitigate against future hazards. She grounds her research in an environmental justice framework. She works alongside individuals, communities, organizations, government officials, and others to inform and rework decision-making procedures associated with recovery, mitigation, and resilience to more equitably address the needs of marginalized communities. Her work is primarily qualitative, and she is interested in reducing the risk associated with all sudden- and slow-onset hazards in the United States.