WSEMA!
Friends, family, loved, and semi-loved ones – Hey! It is the last Friday of the year 2025!
This year asked a lot of emergency managers, often quietly and behind the scenes. And yet, over the past month, with flooding impacting communities across the state, something seemed to have shifted. I’ve seen more emergency managers on the news than I have all year combined! It’s been a meaningful reminder that the work you do matters and deserves to be seen.
Many of you spent long hours in EOCs, on calls, coordinating partners, answering phones, writing plans, calming nerves, in meetings (my gosh – the number of meetings), and solving problems that never fully make the headlines. That work mattered then, and it still does. Thank you for showing up for your communities, your partners, and each other. Thank you for sharing knowledge, mentoring others, asking hard questions, and keeping your sense of humor when the work got heavy.
By the way, before I wrap this up, I just feel like it wouldn’t be me without some type of dramatic gripe, if you will. A brief but important note: I am an unapologetic em-dash user – and I have been my entire life. If you, too, now find yourself pausing mid-sentence wondering whether you’re allowed to use an em dash without being judged or accused of outsourcing your personality to AI – I see you. Use the em dash anyway. Let it live!
I’m proud of you, this association, and grateful to serve alongside you. I’m also genuinely looking forward to what we’ll take into next year – stronger connections, sharper skills, and continued support for one another.
I hope you’ve been able to take some time for yourself this week. And for what it’s worth – I’m fairly confident you’re all on the good list this year. And if you were aiming for the naughty list instead…well…no judgment here – and honestly, you might’ve earned that too.
Take care of yourselves, get some rest where you can, and thank you for being WSEMA. See you next year!