Susamma Seeley, a Certified Emergency Manager, is a disaster science and management doctoral student and an adjunct professor in the Leadership program in the Biden School of Public Policy & Administration at University of Delaware. Susamma is also a proud veteran of the U.S. Army. Prior to starting her doctoral studies, she worked with a nationally recognized faith-based organization, where she specialized in crisis and disaster human-services coordination and assistance.

Susamma was born in Kerala, India before she and her family immigrated to New York in the 1970’s. She speaks Malayalam and understands Hindi, Urdu, and Spanish at various levels of proficiency. Her experience as a Brown woman in emergency management practice and as a sixth-year PhD student working on a dissertation proposal was pivotal in the type of research she conducts as well as the kind of educator she is in and out of the classroom. Susamma finds joy in teaching leadership to  undergraduate students and her approach is one where justice and inclusion are incorporated into every aspect of teaching and mentoring for her students. Additionally, Susamma’s doctoral journey has become an extension of the work she began during
her emergency management practice to build more inclusive and accepting spaces. 

For more information on Susamma’s career and work, click on the image below.