UWEM staff act as the lead emergency management team for the Seattle campus; in support of emergency preparedness and response at UW Bothell, UW Tacoma and other UW locations; and as the leads for establishing tri-campus planning, training and exercise goals.
Kelley Biastock
Director of UW Emergency Management, disaster@uw.edu
Kelley Biastock, UWEM Director
As the Director of Emergency Management for UW, Kelley Biastock coordinates with departments across the University to prepare and plan for emergencies. Biastock has more than 16 years of emergency management experience. She managed the American Red Cross of Alaska鈥檚 disaster program, serving the entirety of the vast geography in preparedness, response and recovery for over 12 years. Through this work, she deployed across the nation during disaster responses, led multiple disaster relief operations and provided training and development opportunities to multiple staff and volunteers across the state of Alaska. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Biastock transitioned to Public Health Emergency Preparedness as the Emergency Preparedness Manager for the Anchorage Department of Health, where she managed the emergency management program as well as supported the Municipality of Anchorage鈥檚 response to the COVID-19 emergency. She also worked for the CDC Foundation to ensure equitable distribution of COVID-19 therapeutics across Alaska.
While not planning for emergency situations, Biastock and her family enjoy exploring and discovering beaches, playgrounds and scenic places across the PNW.
Robert Sabarese
Deputy Director of UW Emergency Management, disaster@uw.edu
Robert Sabarese, UWEM Deputy Director
In his role as UW Emergency Management Deputy Director, Rob Sabarese leads the operational and administrative management of UWEM, including managing UW鈥檚 Emergency Operations Centers, collaborating with key internal and external partners and supporting the overall day-to-day operations and strategic planning of the program.
Prior to UW, Sabarese served as the Organizational Effectiveness Manager for the Washington State Emergency Management Division, where he oversaw the emergency management program鈥檚 strategic planning, Emergency Management Accreditation Program聽 for emergency management and continuity, performance management, hazard analysis and mitigation and continuous improvement. Additionally, he was a State Emergency Operations Center manager and supervisor supporting all-hazard real world short- and long-term response and recovery efforts.
Sabarese has also previously worked as the Emergency Management and Continuity Coordinator for the Washington State Legislature and the Emergency Management Practice Leader for MultiCare Health System. Additionally, he served in the U.S. Air Force in many capacities, all within the first responder sphere of law enforcement, security and emergency management.
Sabarese graduated from American Military University with a Master of Arts in Emergency and Disaster Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice with a concentration in Counterterrorism. He鈥檚 completed additional training with FEMA and the Emergency Management Institute, including FEMA鈥檚 Professional Development Series and Continuity Practitioner certification.
He enjoys spending time with his family and is a half-marathoner (13.1 miles), avid cyclist and enjoys traveling to new places and having fun adventures.