- Emergency management is a growing field that goes far beyond first response with opportunities in healthcare, technology, public policy, product development, corporate security and more.
- Career transitions are common and valuable in emergency management, as skills can be applied across sectors to address complex organizational challenges.
- New technologies, including artificial intelligence, are changing the field and creating new roles for emergency managers.
When most people think of emergency management careers, they picture responses to floods, fires or earthquakes. While those remain critical responsibilities, today’s emergency managers are just as likely to be working in technology safety, corporate security, and public policy — helping organizations anticipate threats, coordinate complex operations and strengthen resilience. As the field expands, today’s emergency managers benefit from expertise in risk management, crisis leadership and business continuity, all of which are emphasized in USC’s Master of Science in Emergency Management program.
To explore three emerging career paths, we spoke with USC Bovard College MSEM faculty members Claire Moravec and Mitch Saruwatari, whose careers span federal law enforcement, healthcare, public health and intelligence. Their experiences illustrate how emergency management principles are shaping some of today’s fastest-growing leadership roles.
Trust, Safety and Digital Risk Intelligence
Misinformation campaigns, geopolitical events, cyber incidents, and online activity can quickly disrupt business operations, damage reputations, and create operational challenges. Many employers are investing in digital risk management and building teams that identify emerging threats before they escalate.
In particular, social media platforms confronting misinformation, targeted violence, and online exploitation increasingly rely on trust and safety leaders who can assess evolving threats, coordinate multidisciplinary teams and make rapid decisions under pressure.
Much of this work relies on open-source intelligence (OSINT), threat intelligence and reputation monitoring to understand how events unfolding online could affect people, operations, or critical infrastructure. Trust and safety teams track misinformation, monitor geopolitical risk and identify indicators of targeted violence — turning information into actionable insights for decision-makers.
For Professor Claire Moravec, the connection between public safety and online safety has been a consistent theme throughout her career. After serving as a founding member of the FBI Social Media Exploitation Team, Moravec transitioned into the technology sector, eventually serving as Senior Lead of Trust and Safety Operations at Snapchat.
“One of the reasons I went to Snapchat was because it’s a platform mostly used by young kids,” Moravec explains. “I went in asking, ‘What experiences can I bring to the table that can keep the young users of Snapchat safe?’”
Today, Moravec serves as Director of Intelligence Operations for Social Media Exploitation at Sentinel, where she leads intelligence and threat monitoring efforts for public- and private-sector clients.
Emergency managers are well-suited for these roles because they understand threat assessment, situational awareness, crisis communications and stakeholder coordination — skills that are increasingly necessary in digital environments.
Related Careers:
- Trust & Safety Manager
- Online Safety Specialist
- Content Integrity Analyst
- Safety Operations Manager
- Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) Analyst
- Threat Intelligence Analyst
- Crisis Intelligence Analyst
Public Policy and Community Resilience
Long before disasters even occur, emergency leaders help shape public policy by bringing operational experience to decisions that impact real-world emergency response.
Many professionals help shape community preparedness by developing policies, securing resilience funding and improving coordination across local, state and federal agencies.
Professor Mitch Saruwatari began his career in public health before discovering emergency management following the Northridge earthquake. “I started my career [in public health] because I wanted to make a direct impact on community health, and when I later transitioned into emergency management, I didn’t expect how closely the two fields would overlap.”
His work eventually led him to leadership roles as an instructor for the FEMA Center for Domestic Preparedness, and later to his current position as Director of National Emergency Management for Kaiser Permanente.
“I think it’s really important for practitioners to have a voice in [public-policy] discussions because they bring practical experience,” Saruwatari explains. “That perspective helps make sure policies are actually workable and effective.”
For those interested in public administration or legislative affairs, Saruwatari says, “One of the best ways to pivot into public policy from emergency management is to start getting involved in larger community groups. Those spaces are where the conversations around training standards, practices, policies and even legislation happen, so it’s a great way to get exposure and start contributing.”
Related Careers
- Emergency Management Policy Analyst
- Public Administration Manager
- Government Affairs Advisor
- Emergency Preparedness Policy Specialist
- Community Resilience Coordinator
- Public Health Preparedness Coordinator
- Emergency Preparedness Specialist
- Hospital Emergency Manager
- Healthcare Resilience Coordinator
AI Product Development and Crisis Technology
Artificial intelligence is transforming how teams gather information, assess risk and support decision-making during crises. As AI becomes more integrated into emergency operations, emergency management professionals can help design and improve the next generation of crisis management tools.
Professor Moravec believes practitioners should play a greater role in product development, ensuring crisis management software reflects the realities of emergency operations rather than assumptions made in a development environment.
“AI is fundamentally changing how situational awareness is built,” Moravec says. “We’re seeing platforms that can ingest massive volumes of open-source and internal data, detect anomalies, surface emerging risks and generate near real-time intelligence summaries for decision-makers.”
While automation can dramatically improve information gathering, Moravec cautions that technology should complement—not replace—human judgment. Professor Saruwatari shares a similar perspective, emphasizing the importance of AI governance and human-centered design as these technologies become more common.
“There’s a lot of potential there to really enhance resilience, but it needs input from emergency managers to make sure it’s actually useful in real-world situations,” Saruwatari says. “There are plenty of tools out there, but not all of them are designed with the operational realities of a crisis in mind.”
As employers continue investing in AI-enabled resilience platforms, practitioners who understand both emergency operations and technology will be positioned to influence the next generation of crisis management software.
Related Careers:
- AI Product Manager
- Crisis Technology Product Manager
- AI Governance Specialist
- Emergency Management Technology Advisor
- Decision Support Systems Analyst
Advance Your Emergency Management Career
As new technologies, evolving threats and increasingly interconnected systems reshape how institutions manage risk, leaders who can navigate complexity, collaborate across disciplines and make informed decisions will continue to be in demand.
The USC Master of Science in Emergency Management prepares students to meet these challenges through an interdisciplinary curriculum focused on risk management, crisis leadership, emergency planning and strategic decision-making. Guided by faculty who are active practitioners in healthcare, intelligence, public safety and beyond, students gain real-world perspectives on the evolving demands of the profession and how emergency management principles apply across industries.
As Professor Mitch Saruwatari reflects, “I’ve really valued programs like the MS in Emergency Management at Bovard College because they bring in experienced faculty who can share real-world insights, not just theory. That combination of practical experience and academic foundation is what really helps strengthen you as an emergency manager.”
Explore the MSEM program and connect with an admissions advisor to learn how USC Bovard College can help you take the next step in your emergency management career.