Emily Allen
Emily A. is a crisis management professional, author, and founder of unPREPARED, LLC, an organization dedicated to preparing children and families for emergencies through education and practical safety training. With extensive experience in emergency management and disaster response, she has worked in high-pressure environments alongside organizations such as the American Red Cross, AmeriCorps, FEMA collaborations, and NYC Health + Hospitals, supporting large-scale shelter operations, disaster preparedness initiatives, and community recovery efforts.
Her career spans over a decade of hands-on disaster response, including deployments to hurricanes, wildfires, flooding events, and major emergency operations across the United States. In these roles, she has led teams, trained volunteers, coordinated shelter operations for thousands of displaced families, and developed community-based preparedness programs. She later expanded her impact into education and authorship, creating child-focused crisis management resources that translate real-world emergency experience into accessible, age-appropriate learning tools.
Through unPREPARED, LLC, Emily now focuses on empowering children and families with confidence and practical skills to navigate crises safely. She is the author of the Crisis Management for Kids book series, which includes guides on home fire safety, hurricanes and flooding, and coping strategies. Her work is rooted in the belief that preparedness should build confidence rather than fear, equipping children to respond thoughtfully and safely in moments of uncertainty.
• Non-Profit Management Certification
• English Second Language Instructor
• Emergency Management Certification
• Standard CPR/AED & First Aid
• Master Barber
• NYS Cosmetologist
• TV Producer / Host
• New Manager Fundamentals
• Inclusive Leader: Self & Social Awareness
• Educator - Type 4
• Inclusive Leader: Transparency in Practice
• Liberty University- M.P.A.
• University of Phoenix- B.S.
• Harvard University
• State University of New York Empire State College
• University of Phoenix- Bachelor's
• Distinguishes Service Award
• Volunteer of the Year Award
• College Scholarship
• Employee of the Month
• IBM Instructor
• American Red Cross
• AmeriCorps
• AARP
• FEMA
• American Red Cross volunteer
• Disaster response deployments
• Training children in emergency preparedness
• The Riverside Church of NY - Barber Training Program
• AARP
• NYC Bronx Civil and Housing Courts
• New York Cares
• NYC Marathon
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my upbringing and my natural drive to help others. I'm a humanitarian from childhood - my dad was a minister, my mom was a missionary, and they used to take us out with them in the community. I watched them help others, so that was always a part of me. Everything in my life has been about helping others. I worked from Wall Street as an international banking officer, but something was missing. When I reached my point in the corporate world where I felt I had maximized my impact, I was ready for another platform. I joined AARP and started helping seniors, then I started deploying to disasters. When I deploy, I look at the need - I don't just look at housing people, I look at what's needed. When I found that kids are the most vulnerable, that's when my attention started focusing on how I can help these youngsters and young learners become leaders. Most of the time when I started out, I was a volunteer and not getting paid, but I've been paid by fulfilling something inwardly - a gratification from helping people. I don't care if I'm broke, I'll help you. You'll never know I'm broke because I'll help you.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I’ve ever received is to keep moving, even when things feel uncertain or difficult, because progress comes from staying consistent and taking the next step forward.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
We are strong, and don't ever underestimate yourself. You can do it. Never give up. There's gonna be times when you're discouraged, you're disappointed. You take one step forward and somebody pushes you three steps backwards, but just keep going. You're at the finish line for what you want to do in life, and there's gonna be that one obstacle that's gonna either make you or break you. What don't kill you makes you stronger. Let nothing break that chain of thinking this is a man's world - no, this is a female's world as well, because we're the ones that take care of the households, we're the ones making sure the family is together, making sure everything is running smoothly. When you're opening up a business, think about how you handle your daily life - that's how you can handle your business. You have to find ways to feed your family, and you'll find a way to open up your business. Women are always in the forefront, even though half the time we don't get credit.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges in my field right now is getting school districts to approve and adopt child-focused preparedness programs, as well as building strong vendor relationships that allow this work to be integrated into curricula. There’s also the growing concern of children being exposed to risky or misleading information online, which makes accurate, accessible preparedness education even more critical. At the same time, there’s a major opportunity to scale this work through school-based programs, digital platforms like webinars, podcasts, and coaching, and practical products such as Kids Ready backpacks that make preparedness more widely accessible.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me in my work and personal life are humanitarian service, helping others, perseverance, practical preparedness, and empowering children to act safely and confidently in moments of uncertainty.