Crisis Governing and Decision Making in Response to COVID-19: Lessons and Reflections Across Washington State
The prolonged nature of Covid-19, its lack of geo-spatial boundaries, and its magnitude and multi-sectoral impact created new challenges for structuring decision-making and who to involve at all levels of the responses. To get a better understanding of lessons learned around crisis decision-making during responses to Covid, the Washington State Legislature provided funding for the Washington Emergency Management Division to contract with the William D. Ruckelshaus Center to explore lessons learned around decision-making at multiple levels of government, public health entities, universities, businesses, and other key responders. The Center partnered with the Pacific Northwest Economic Region and Berk Consulting Inc. to assist with the project. Through conducting interviews and focus groups, the William D. Ruckelshaus Center surfaced participants’ perspectives on what worked well, what was challenging, and what recommendations are advised for improving decision-making in a crisis.
The presenters of this session will share findings and recommendations that can be considered by emergency management professionals, elected officials, public health professionals, and others.
Phyllis Shulman
Phyllis is a skilled facilitator, organizational developer, public policy advisor, and educator with 35 years experience working in government, non-profit, private, and education sectors. She has extensive experience leading and implementing transformative policies and programs. She has been a regional and national thought leader on issues including sustainability, climate change adaptation, food systems, regenerative economic development, and emergency preparedness and response. In her role as organizational alchemist and community resilience catalyst she created major new initiatives including a Resilient City Strategy and Seattle’s Local Food Action Initiative. Phyllis has been leading and facilitating a wide range of projects for the William D. Ruckelshaus Center since 2014. Phyllis strives to apply her well-honed knack for creativity, innovation, and systems thinking to social innovation that regenerates the well-being of people and the earth.
Dr Jed August Chalupa
Dr. Jed August Chalupa is an experienced facilitator with over a decade of dialogic and deliberative facilitation; community engagement; organizational and governmental conflict management; and teaching/training experience. His work regularly addresses the incorporation of belonging within engagement and conflict resolution efforts. Combining his specializations, he tirelessly works to create trusting, judgement free, and brave spaces for groups to collaboratively explore and address their own biases while moving towards conflict resolution and public policy.
Jed received his Ph.D. in Communication Studies from Texas A&M University (2024), where he also received certificates in mediation and women and gender studies. He also holds a B.A. (2015) and a M.A. in Communication Studies (2018from Colorado State University.