Ron Edmond, Crisis Communications Subject Matter Expert

Ron Edmond

Crisis Communication Subject Matter Expert

Years of Experience in
Crisis Communication

Agencies Partnered With

Year Joined SummitET

Why I work at SummitET

SummitET provides an opportunity to share knowledge, gain new skills, insights, and perspectives, and work with some of the best people in the business.

The best advice I’ve ever received

Work hard, play hard, and be yourself.

Three things you may not know about me

I am the Past-President of the Education Foundation for Clinton City and Anderson County Schools.

I serve as liaison to the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation as the chairperson of my high school graduating class scholarship program targeting at-risk students.

I mentor high school and college students.

Ron Edmond at International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference
Ron Edmond presenting at Rutgers Leadership Academy TTX
Ron Edmond at the Conference of Radiation Control Directors National Conference

Education

LINCOLN MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY

Ed.D., Executive Leadership

LINCOLN MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY

Ed.S., Educational Leadership

VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY

M.Ed., Human Resource Development

EAST TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY

B.S., Mass Communication and Speech

Affiliations

About Ron

Dr. Ron Edmond serves as the Crisis Communication Subject Matter expert, Media Coordinator, and Public Information Officer for SummitET. Additionally, he serves as a faculty member for the internationally renowned Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS) where he lectures on crisis communication during a radiological event.

Formerly, Ron was the Acting Technical Director with Oak Ridge Associated Universities’ (ORAU) Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education National Security Program (ORISE-NSP). For more than 25 years, he supported crisis and risk communication efforts for Departments of Energy (DOE), Homeland Security (DHS), Health and Human Services (DHHS), Defense (DOD), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He designed and taught the first-ever environmental communication training for DOD.

Ron was a featured speaker for organizations such as The World Nuclear University Alumni Summit, University of Tennessee-Howard Baker Public Policy Center’s Institute for Nuclear Security, Department of Energy’s National Stakeholders Transportation Forum, the commercial nuclear industry, Tennessee, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agencies, and local, state, and tribal authorities. He also taught crisis communication at Lee University.

Ron managed the research, development, testing, training, and implementation of first responder software applications for DHS, DOE, and Veteran Healthcare Administration (VHA).  He designed, developed, and conducted nationwide training courses on crisis risk communication issues, transportation of radioactive waste materials, emergency preparedness training for schools/educators, and health-related disease and illness.

Ron works to strengthen organizations’ crisis communication planning and emergency preparedness efforts for communicable, preventable, and occupational illnesses and diseases, technological hazard events such as chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear mishaps. He specializes in low-trust, high-concern communication issues encountered in occupational health, transportation of radioactive waste, chemical weapons, influenza pandemic, and environmental issues. He also employs his communication skills to train and facilitate meetings, workshops, and roundtables.

Ron is the former president of the Clinton City and Anderson County Education Foundation and served on the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

Get In Touch