Jean is a seasoned professional with over 30 years of experience in the disaster management field, with experience as both a leader and an educator.
During her 28-year career with the Canadian Red Cross, Jean was involved in leading response and recovery efforts for numerous events across a range of hazard types in Canada and the US, including the Edmonton tornado, Hurricanes Hugo and Andrew, Manitoba floods, and BC wildfires. In 2004, she was posted to Indonesia for two years as the country representative for the Canadian Red Cross tsunami recovery program. Her other field experience includes work in Australia, the Caribbean, Central America, and the former Soviet Union.
Additionally, Jean has consulted and trained on refugee protection issues, served as an expert advisor for the B.C. Auditor General’s audit of B.C.’s catastrophic earthquake preparedness, and worked as a consultant for the BC government and the Canadian Red Cross.
Since 2009, Jean has been an Associate Professor and Program Head in the Disaster and Emergency Management Program at Royal Roads University. She has a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies from UBC. Her current research is focused on exploring how the use of digital technologies and social media are shaping the cultural characteristics of emergent response to disasters and the way these types of events are witnessed, as well as the use of painting as a research method.
