Our Featured Fellow for February is Joy Semien, who is currently a doctoral candidate in the Department of Urban and Regional Sciences at Texas A & M University. Joy joined the Bill Anderson Fund as a Fellow in 2017. She has served as the Chair of the BAF Student Council as well as a member of the Writing and the Collaborative Communities Initiative committees. She helped to co-create the annual BAF Legacy Magazine and obtained sponsorship to print and distribute the magazine during the annual Natural Hazards Research and Applications Workshop in 2019. 

In addition, through the Bill Anderson Fund, she was awarded an opportunity to present her research during a United States Geological Services speaker series. From there she was awarded an opportunity to co-chair the American Geophysical Union position statement committee. Through her speaking engagements and service, she has gained professional skills that have readied her for a career in hazards and disaster research.

Joy has a Bachelor of Science degree from Dillard University (2015) in Biology with a minor in Chemistry and she also holds a Masters’ Degree from Texas Southern University (2017) in Urban Planning and Environmental Policy. She is also a published author of several peer-reviewed articles and a book entitled Hazard Mitigation Training for Vulnerable Communities. Links to her work can be found here. 

As a doctoral candidate she has served as a research assistant for the Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center at Texas A & M University, where she oversees a research project on organizational impact and recovery following compounded events. Her dissertation is built from this project and offers a glimpse into the impact and recovery of organizations recovering from hurricanes, pandemics, winter storms, and industrial spills. 

Currently, Joy is an intern at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In this role she supports the environmental justice work being conducted in Region 6 and the work of the White House Environmental Justice Council (WEJAC). Joy is also the founder of the consulting firm L.E.E.D. With Joy LLC where she continuously seeks to drive social change through research and education. She is also the creator of The K.A.P.S. Disaster Hub, a platform that provides space for nonprofits and businesses to connect, collaborate, and send/receive resources pre/post disaster impact. Finally, she is the co-founder of the Leona’s Kings and Queens foundation, whose mission it is to invest in marginalized communities to increase shared learning, build capacity, empower a young workforce, and reduce marginalized groups’ vulnerability to hazards and disasters.

As a social entrepreneur and a research scientist Joy’s work explores the intersectionality of hazards, race, and environmental justice within marginalized communities. Through her work, she seeks to develop methodologies to turn research into action to bridge the gap between theory and practice. You can learn more about her publications here and connect with her on LinkedIn here.