The Strategic Objective
To recognize and equip promising and motivated young to mid-career professionals (including from academia, the private sector, government, nonprofit sector) with the confidence, skills and sense of responsibility needed to exercise leadership by advocating and leading efforts to reduce earthquake risk throughout their careers in the work and volunteer settings of their choice. The program is targeted at practitioners and academics from the U.S. and around the world. There is no set age limit. The Global Facility for Disaster Risk Reduction (GFDRR) at the World Bank is supporting three Fellows specifically from developing countries who will be known as GFDRR-Housner Fellows upon “graduation” of the program.
Learning Objectives
Upon “graduation” each EERI Housner Fellow should be able to:
- Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of seismic safety issues, including a holistic view of the safety issues facing communities, the multidisciplinary nature of earthquake risk reduction, and how earthquake hazard and risk considerations fit into public policy.
- Demonstrate the advocacy knowledge and skills needed to promote and advocate for seismic safety.
- Demonstrate collaborative management skills, including the ability to identify and attract technical and financial resources
- Demonstrate the ability to adapt personal leadership styles to the needs of different stakeholders and situations. Specific knowledge and skills include:
- Understanding the role of leaders and followers in driving organizational effectiveness
- Setting and achieving collaborative goals
- Understanding how people learn, think, act and change behavior
- Understanding project management skills
- Demonstrating creative problem solving
- Demonstrating strong commitment to professional ethics
- Integrating other points of view and disciplinary approaches
- Developing conflict management skills
- Demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively
- Make effective oral presentations to professional and lay audiences
- Write clear, persuasive materials for professional and lay audiences
- Meet with elected and other high-level government officials
- Respond to news media inquiries
Delivery Mechanisms
Housner Institute—a week-long program of classroom training, homework, group work, exercises under the direction of EERI member and professor Lucy Arendt (For the first class the Institute will be held at Asilomar, California, June 16—21, 2012)
Mentoring—a managed one-on-one mentoring program beginning in January 2012 and continuing for two years, with regular email and phone communication with the mentor(s);
Activities—a tailored set of activities including participation in EERI and the group project, community policy development activities, and providing information to the EERI membership. These activities will include participation in ASCE’s Legislative Fly-in Program and may also include participation in an EERI reconnaissance trip. It is expected that Housner Fellows will meet regularly at the EERI Annual Meeting and may present the group project there. In year two the Fellow will focus on an individual leadership activity, in addition to the group project, that will be facilitated through interaction with the mentors and online communication tools.
Group Project—require that each class of Fellows (five to eight) will select a group project to work on during their two-year program. The intent is to select a project that will benefit EERI and/or promote seismic safety policy. (Possible examples include developing an interactive website to promote mitigation, a series of e-presentations on various topics, an interactive film that promotes a risk reduction concept, a new EERI publication, etc.) Initial discussion will take place prior to the Housner Institute and a portion of the Institute time will be dedicated to developing the project further. Each Fellow will then be responsible for working with the other Fellows and his/her mentor to complete the project.
Selection Criteria
- Commitment to earthquake risk mitigation (track record, accomplishments, fields of interest,
- Character (respected, willingness to assume responsibilities, ethical, positive attitude, concern for others, etc.)
- Abilities (experience, credentials, preparation, personality and desire to work with groups of people)
- Support (possible outside funding, employer agreement)
- Basic communications skills
- EERI membership
Application Process
Please refer to the detailed description of the Application Process. The application package consists of the following:
- Contact information for the applicant
- Answers to a set of essay questions
- A professional resume, summarizing educational background, significant work assignments, current position, involvement with EERI and other major volunteer activities
- 2 letters of recommendation, including one from your current employer
- Suggested names (up to 3) for your mentor (optional)
- Supporting material (optional) that represent a sample of your work—for example, articles or other publications you have written, other work that could demonstrate your interest and experience in the promotion of seismic risk reduction.
Applications are due at EERI by November 18, 2011. Selected Fellows will be announced by December 20, 2011.
