Jeannette Sutton

Jeannette Sutton, Ph.D., specializes in disaster and risk with a primary focus on public alerts and warnings disseminated via short messaging channels. Her current work centers on message design and testing across a range of hazard contexts, including atmospheric, meteorological, geological, technological, biological, and human-induced threats for communication via Wireless Emergency Alerts and other alerting channels. Most recently, she led the research, design, training, and implementation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Integrated Public Alert and Warning System Message Design Dashboard, where she and her team developed lexica and workflows for 48 hazards, plus All Clear and Missing Persons messages. Current research includes investigations into over-alerting and warning fatigue, and effective communication of extreme heat and extreme cold conditions. She is an Associate professor at the University at Albany, where she directs the Emergency and Risk Communication Message Testing Lab. Jeannette is also the founder of The Warn Room, LLC (thewarnroom.com), which provides evidence-based advice on effective alert and warning messages.