Influential Woman · Emergency Management

Brandy McCaslin

EMT, LPN

Senior Community Disaster Program Manager, American Red Cross

Huntingdon, TN

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree Bachelor's in Psychology from University of Maryland Degree Master's in Emergency Management from Walden University Degree LPN School Degree EMT Certificate Cert EMT Cert LPN Cert Leadership CCAR (American Red Cross)

Her Story

About Brandy

My professional journey has been incredibly rewarding. I started out as a very young adult as an EMT, and over the past 20 years in emergency management, I've moved my way into working for the American Red Cross as a Senior Program Manager. Currently, I serve as the Senior Community Disaster Program Manager for the Region of Tennessee, covering all 95 counties. Every day is a little different in my role. I work closely with local staff in specific areas to deliver our mission and life-saving programs. We're out in the communities talking to people about home fire preparedness and disaster preparedness, and when we have a response, we're responding to those disasters and helping our clients in our communities recover from those. I have been fortunate enough to help communities in Los Angeles, Oregon, Florida (many times), and here at home in Tennessee. One of my most notable achievements is completing Leadership CCAR, a cohort program at the American Red Cross, in January 2025. It has really set me up for success and gave me a lot of tools and things that I need, not only to relate to our volunteers and the staff, but the people in that community. What I love most about my career is the flexibility and knowing that when I get up and do my job, I have touched someone in a way that has bettered their life. I'm literally making a difference in my community, all the way from responding to personal emergencies to responding to Hurricane Helene-style disasters.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Brandy

01What do you attribute your success to?

I've always kind of joked around and said my father gave me this crazy work ethic that I wish he would have kept to himself, but I really do contribute it to my parents. Growing up, and even as a young adult (I'm in my 40s now), my parents taught me a lot about building into myself and truly what that meant as a career. My dad would always say, I don't want you to work hard like I've had to, all my life. I want you to do better. And they gave me those opportunities as a young teenager and young adult. It's just that work ethic, and it's that belief and confidence in myself.

02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

The best advice I've ever received is don't hold people hostage, and don't hold yourself hostage. You always want to grow, you want to learn, and you want your teams to do that. It is just that continuous opportunities that you not only give yourself, but those around you. So you take people with you. That, and where one door closes, another opens, but that's a little cliche.

03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?

The opportunities are that we are going to have disasters. That's gonna happen. There are lots of opportunities in nonprofit emergency management, in giving back into that community. The Red Cross, Team Rubicon, you've got government opportunities, there are lots of opportunities there. I think some of the challenges are it's gotta be community-focused. It's a big picture, and it's a big job. Not everyone can just slide into these positions because it's not as simple as, I've got one task sitting in front of me. When you have a community that's destroyed, houses are gone, people have passed away, and the infrastructure is gone, you gotta be able to manage all of those, so it's that multitasking, fast pace that can be a true challenge. But there's opportunities there, they're so great. And then it's so rewarding to sit down with the family and let them know, hey, you're gonna be safe tonight. We're gonna get you a place to stay, we're gonna give you something to eat, we're gonna help you through this.

04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?

In my work and my personal life, the values are very similar. Trusting, building trusting relationships, building trusting commitments. I think that works both for professional and personal. Showing up, you know, you don't always need a plan. Sometimes you just show up. Sometimes you're just there. And I think those are probably the two biggest ones. I mean, outside of, it costs nothing to be kind, and we should be kind to each other in everything that we do.

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