Kenneth Allen was selected as the first dedicated emergency management position for the University of Florida in 2005. Since that time, the program has grown to become the Department of Emergency Management within the Division of Public Safety. The Department is charged with leading and maintaining a comprehensive, all-hazards program active in all five mission areas of the National Preparedness Goal.

Kenneth has a twenty-year background as an emergency management professional and holds the designation of Florida Professional Emergency Manager (FPEM). Prior to joining the University, he worked as an Emergency Management Coordinator with Alachua County (Florida) Emergency Management. The opportunity to serve at both the local and higher-education level has allowed exposure to nearly all areas of emergency management including mitigation grants, planning, public education, program development, recovery efforts, training, exercises, response actions and numerous others. His tenure includes response to and recovery from Presidentially-declared disasters such as Hurricanes Charlie, Frances, Jeanne, Matthew and Irma.

Kenneth is active in professional associations including Florida’s Domestic Security Coordination Group, Florida Emergency Preparedness Association and the Southeastern Conference Police Chief and Emergency Managers meetings. He is a 2014 graduate of FEMA’s National Emergency Management Executive Academy. Additionally, he holds a Bachelor in Political Science and a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from the University of Alabama.