About Buffy

Skills

Master of some, apprentice in many

Longest-running skills: Planning, research, writing, editing and management

Emerging: Odd jobs and interesting gigs, especially substitute teaching and Airbnb hosting

Also in the mix: Media relations, media analysis

Topics and interests

The familiar and imagined

Experienced in emergency management (including engineering and structural topics related to mitigation), health care (mainly the non-clinical side), travel, government and general interest.

Interested in many other areas, including technical fields.

Education

Three campuses, one degree

Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, University of Colorado, Boulder

Before that: First two years of college were at University of Louisiana Lafayette

After the degree: About 40 hours in graduate school in regional planning and urban design at the University of Colorado Denver

Experience

Two main areas, range of other activities

FEMA (1992-2014) and freelance journalism (practically forever), both of which are episodic, not continuous

Also: urban planning, teaching at the college level substituting in high school classrooms, and hosting through Airbnb

Favorite recent reads

Heavy on nonfiction

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

You Can’t Make This Stuff Up by Lee Gutkind

Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life by Bill Burnett & Dave Evans

Beauty, Neuroscience & Architecture: Timeless Patterns & Their Impact on Our Well-Being by Donald H. Ruggles, AIA

Daily practice

Walking alone, in good company

Not so much for meetings on foot (like Steve Jobs) or reading while strolling (like Stephen King) but for mental and physical benefits, usually about one to three miles a day

Bonus

A solid background in emergency management.