Sharon Aswad, chief program and response officer for the South Central New York Region of the American Red Cross has earned the highly acclaimed national Red Cross Disaster Services Program Manager Certification.
Sharon is only the sixth person in the county to achieve this certification and the Red Cross congratulates her on this outstanding achievement.
After seven years of service to the American Red Cross, Sharon is being recognized for professional excellence in the areas of readiness, capacity development, preparedness and response activities, in the management of disaster relief operations, and in leadership within the emergency management profession.
Completion of the DSPM Certification process is the most advanced credential available in Red Cross disaster services management.
The certification process is rigorous and includes multiple requirements, including three years of emergency management experience; a minimum of two successful deployments in an operations management position; training; and a resume which documents the candidates’ contributions with specific results to the emergency management profession from the last ten years.
The application process took approximately one year.
With this certification, Sharon Aswad will be a resource to new Red Cross disaster services managers across the country.
For the future, she hopes to find opportunities to be deployed to a disaster operation at the national level in an administrative role.
