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In the spring of 2020,
Crisis Ready® Institute and
D’Youville partnered in
response to the COVID-19
pandemic.
To ensure students from around the world are supported and prepared to embrace an unknown future.
Melissa Agnes, founder and CEO of Crisis Ready® Institute, and Benjamin Grant (a.k.a. BG), Chief Student Affairs Officer at D’Youville, created a comprehensive online program that takes students along the journey of developing their crisis leadership skills, strengthens their critical thought and personal development, and introduces the concept of personal resiliency.
This Program was initially offered alongside D’Youville’s Summer 2020 academic programs and enrolled more than 80 high school seniors. The incredible development that occurred over the intensive four-week program and the overwhelming positive student feedback was the spark for “Sustained Resilience: Building Tomorrow’s Leaders,” a supplemental student development tool that can now be used by colleges and universities around the world.
A win/win/win for
growth-minded students,
the institutions that
educate them, and the
organizations that will
employ them.
This program, unlike any other being offered today, combines the development of important life and leadership skills that enlighten and empower students with critical thought, inner resilience and emotional intelligence.
We've entered an era of challenge and change and now, more than ever before, there is a growing need for innovative, crisis ready leaders.
“Sustained Resilience: Building Tomorrow’s Leaders” is a great foundational building block for today's students — our future leaders. We invite you to join Crisis Ready® Institute and D’Youville in our commitment towards ensuring a crisis resilient society, by integrating this program into your curriculum.
In this video, Peyton Smith shares her experience with the Sustained Resilience course.
If you would like to learn more about how this supplemental program is designed to complement and support your current course curriculum, we welcome you to experience it for yourself.
Designed as a seamless supplemental add-on to your existing curriculum and course structure — Sustained Resilience is extremely easy to incorporate into your class or program.
Includes additional resources to help support you in bringing important discussions into your classroom.
This 10-module course includes knowledge checks and engaging course projects.
Upon successful completion, students obtain a certificate of completion that they can be proud of and that will serve as a value-add in the workplace.
In this module, Melissa and BG walk students through what they can expect from this course. This includes:
Society is defined as an aggregate of people living together but it is so much more than that. Society is created by people and, in turn, society develops people.
This module explores how fully understanding who you are as an individual requires the ability to adapt a viewpoint that allows you to see society as a whole—which includes how it impacts you and everyone around you.
Your mindset sets the tone for how you approach any challenging situation. Will you approach it as a catastrophic event that is sure to have a lasting impact on your life? Or will you see it as an inconvenience or minor set-back, while also seeking to find the opportunities and silver linings?
Challenging yourself to “choose the right lens” is a fundamental piece of your crisis readiness, your resilience, and your leadership capacities. In this module, students learn how their mindset plays a big role in shaping the impact of a situation, and they learn techniques to help them strengthen outcomes in their favor.
This course builds inner resilience through crisis readiness and strengthens leadership skills. But what does it mean to truly be resilient and what do we mean by being “crisis ready”?
This module explores these important terms, which we carry forth with us throughout the remainder of this course.
Establishing what these terms mean also helps students define what success looks like, so they always know what they're striving to achieve when faced with challenges and crises.
Throughout her years of helping professionals lead through crisis, Melissa has observed five powerful human characteristics that can hinder the success of anyone, even those we view as “strong leaders”. She refers to these as the ‘5 hindrances of crisis readiness’ and every person is vulnerable to them—even you.
In this module students explore what these 5 hindrances of crisis readiness are, and learn techniques to disempower them so that they don’t get in the way of their success.
There are many theories on personal development and the “steps” needed to become a holistic individual. Arthur Chickering’s Seven Vectors of Personal Development shine light on what it means to be a whole person and the incredible importance of understanding ourselves.
This module focuses on helping students understand who they are on a deeper level. It also equips them with a better understanding of who others are and to use all of this to better navigate potential challenges that come their way.
Overreacting or under-reacting to a challenging situation can make or break its impact. Far too often, an incident can feel like a crisis when it’s really just an issue. But in the heat of the moment, when emotions are escalating and chaos ensues, it can be extremely challenging to decipher between the two.
Taking the time to define the difference between an ‘issue’ and a ‘crisis’ prior to an incident occurring provides meaningful advantages that can later be leveraged in the heat of the moment.
In this module, students learn precisely what the difference is between the two and how to define them for themselves—because a crisis for one person or organization does not necessarily translate into a crisis for another.
The better equipped students are to adequately assess the scope of impact of a situation in real-time, the stronger they'll be at successfully leading themselves and others through the challenge.
Now that students understand the importance that society has on our individual development, they also need to understand the importance of supporting and developing society.
The human mind is better at comprehending ideas when they are neat and organized. This module looks at societal structure and the role that it plays in both supporting and challenging individuals.
Throughout the previous modules, we’ve often referred to “effectively responding” to a crisis. But what is actually involved in an effective response and how can you ensure that you are equipped with all that is required to successfully respond every time you’re faced with a challenge?
In this module, we explore precisely what goes into an effective response and how students can set themselves up for success. We also explore some outside factors that students should be prepared to experience when a crisis strikes, and some of the expectations that others will have of them, as a leader.
Emotion is one of the biggest challenges that can easily interfere with successful crisis and issue management. Why? Because it quickly clouds judgment and amplifies the challenges of a given situation. Being able to quickly and effectively detect and respond to emotional escalation is one of the ultimate secrets of crisis readiness—and a powerful leadership skill that students learn in this module.
Similarly to everything else in life, your personality can be structured and organized into categories for clear and concise understanding. Your personality is a huge force behind who you are and this model introduces students to the different types of personalities that exist, as well as their individual strengths and challenges.
Additionally, students learn about people who are labeled as “difficult” and, most importantly, how to manage these difficult people when required.
Crisis management does not happen in a vacuum. Other people will always be involved. This means that the better you are able to understand those who will matter and pertain to a challenging situation, the better equipped you will be at anticipating their needs, relating to what matters to them, and resonating in a way that enables the successful resolution of a situation.
Stakeholder mapping is a powerful exercise that helps students better understand those who matter so that they can successfully lead through challenge and adversity. In this module, students learn what stakeholder mapping is and how to adopt this into their crisis readiness and leadership strengths.
In this last module, Melissa and BG evaluate all the important learnings from the last nine modules, bringing all the pieces of this crisis ready puzzle together.
Throughout this module, students are led to see how far they've come and gain insight into how to continue to challenge themselves in ways that will progressively strengthen their leadership skills as they embark upon the rest of their academic journey—and their lives!
Melissa Agnes
Founder and CEO, Crisis Ready® Institute
Benjamin Grant
Chief Student Affairs Officer, D’Youville
“Today’s managers and corporate heads have a responsibility to ensure that tomorrow’s leaders are ready for the challenges ahead, and ‘Sustained Resilience’ does just that,” says D’Youville President Lorrie Clemo, PhD. “After seeing firsthand how impactful and needed these skills are for today’s students, I’m confident this program deserves to be a supplemental toolkit for all higher education institutions.”
We're excited to be sharing Sustained Resilience: Building Tomorrow's Leaders with you. Fill in the form below to gain access to demo this course. Once you fill in this form, we'll send you an email with further instructions.
Thank you for the honor of considering this important course for your curriculum. We look forward to sharing in the experience with you!
Whether you’re an in-house professional, a crisis communication consultant, or an educator who teaches on the subject, the Crisis Ready Newsletter provides tailored content specifically for you.
Paul Damaren is the Global Director of Strategic Accounts for LRQA, a global Assurance Provider. Paul also holds the position of Chief Commercial Officer and Partner at StepUp Solution Services. Paul has worked as a Senior Executive in the Certification space for 10 years and has over 39 years’ experience in the Hospitality, Certification, Service, Retail agri-food and Technology sectors. Damaren is skilled in sales, marketing, certification, operations and software applications and he possesses an MBA from McGill University.
Mr. Damaren has worked with many companies across multiple sectors in supporting their food safety, supply chain, health & wellness, front & back of house operations, brand protection, quality, environmental, health & safety, GMP/GDP compliance, automotive, aerospace, medical, information security and technology requirements.
Paul was formerly a board member and Treasurer for the Ontario Food Protection Association (OFPA) and is a currently an Advisor & Council Member with The GW University School of Business and the Crisis Ready Institute.
Before working in the Certification industry, Damaren was a professional Chef/consultant for 20+ years working in major hotel chains, restaurants, private golf courses and food service organizations. Further, Damaren was a member of the National Canadian Federation of Chefs and Cooks (C.F.C.C.) for 14 years, member of the Region of Waterloo Culinary Association (R.W.C.A.) for 14 years, President of R.W.C.A. (Region of Waterloo Culinary Association) for 3 years, special Events chairman - R.W.C.A. – 1998 – 2000 and National Culinary Ambassador to Russia for 5 years.
Paul’s wealth of knowledge and experience across the span of our services supports his commitment to the ongoing success of our customers.
As we get this membership off the ground, we’re looking to our 2022 inaugural members to be a part of helping us strengthen and tailor this program to meet your needs.
This will involve regular communication with the Crisis Ready Team to provide feedback, share requests for additional ways to support you and your business, etc.
Each Crisis Ready Course is designed to help you strengthen your Crisis Ready® Expertise. Course subjects will include crisis communication, establishing governance, crisis leadership, storytelling for crisis comms, DEI integration, and more.
Each course is complete with:
If you:
... then you will benefit from Crisis Ready Institute's 1:1 coaching and support. This opportunity is retainer-based and is offered exclusively to our consultant and small agency members.
This offering provides personalized coaching and support in:
Monthly retainer*
Hours of support per month
$2,500 USD
Up to 5
$5,000 USD
Up to 10
* This is in addition to the annual membership fee.
Click below...
Have experts review your crisis comms program prior to the course
1:1 Consultation time with a member of the Crisis Ready Team, post the course (per hour)
Between the demands of our social impact economy, the divisiveness of society and the many other challenges in front of us, embedding a crisis ready culture is more important than ever before. Having a team that is trained, poised, and empowered to effectively respond to risk, controversy and other threats, will strengthen stakeholder relationships and increase the brand equity of your organization. This is a powerful opportunity. The Crisis Ready® Coaching Program is specifically designed to equip your team with the tools needed today for launching into a stronger tomorrow.
From best practices around re-opening, to diversity and inclusion, to managing through the impacts that 2020 has left on your business, the Crisis Ready® Coaching Program is designed to support you through the challenges of today, in order to recover faster and stronger for an even better tomorrow.
COVID-19 continues to affect a great majority of professionals and businesses, leaving them blindsided by its impact and all the uncertainty that came with it. The Crisis Ready® Coaching Program provides you with access to a diverse group of experts, each with unique areas of insight, to help provide you and your team with strengthened foresight to better anticipate and plan for both the risks and opportunities that lay ahead of us all.
Licy Do Canto, is a veteran of public policy, corporate strategy, health care communications and diversity and inclusion, is managing director of APCO Worldwide’s Washington D.C. office headquarters and mid-Atlantic region lead. Licy is also a Global Advisory Council (GAC) member here at the Crisis Ready Institute and a highly recognized African-American public affairs, lobbyist and communications strategist— recognized by TheHill newspaper for the 11th consecutive year as one of the most influential leaders in Washington, DC.
Recognized globally as an expert, thought leader and visionary in the field of crisis communication, Melissa Agnes has worked with global players, including NATO, the Pentagon (DoD), Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense, financial firms, technology companies, healthcare organizations, cities and municipalities, law enforcement agencies, aviation organizations, global non-profits, and many others.
In 2020, Melissa founded Crisis Ready Institute, a public benefit corporation dedicated to teaching advanced crisis communication skills.
She's currently passionate about providing dedicated support to crisis communication consultants. Through her programs, she’s focused on helping them strengthen their crisis communication skills and credibility in the market, and supporting them in growing and scaling their business. The work they do is important and she's passionate about helping them amplify the positive impact they have in the world.
Her book, Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World, is taught in dozens of universities around the world, including at Harvard University; is ranked amongst the leading crisis management books of all time, by Book Authority; and was named one of the top ten business books of 2018 by Forbes.
Melissa is the creator of the Crisis Ready® Model, which is recognized and being taught as leading industry best practice in the fields of crisis management and crisis communication.
As an in-demand international keynote speaker and a TEDx alumna, Melissa has traveled the world helping organizations and leaders further strengthen their crisis ready mindset, skills and capabilities.
In 2019, Melissa founded the Crisis Ready® Community, a space for professionals to come together to support one another, collaborate and strengthen their crisis ready skills.
Melissa sits on the Board of Directors for ZeroNow, a non-profit committed to ending harmful events in schools.
She also sat on the Board of Trustees for D'Youville University for four years until the end of her term, where she also serves as a visiting scholar for the course she co-created and co-teaches on Crisis Leadership.
Passionate about serving law enforcement and bridging the trust divide between agencies and the communities they serve, Melissa is a former member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). In 2021 she co-chaired a committee tasked with developing a strategy and plan of action to begin resolving the trust crisis in the U.S.
In 2019 and 2020, Melissa sat on the panel tasked with developing the International Standard for Crisis Management— ISO 22361, Guidelines for developing a strategic capability.
Born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Melissa currently lives in New York City and enjoys weight-lifting, sailing, and exploring new cities, countries, and cultures.
Erick Anez is the Global Head of Business Resilience at Finastra. Erick is a proven leader with well over a decade of experience leading change and transformation in the Operational Resilience field.
His hands-on approach focuses on operational learning, culture, and reputational management. Erick holds a Bachelor of Emergency & Homeland Security, Graduate studies in Security and Disaster Management, is a Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP), Certified Risk Management Professional (CRMP), graduate of the FEMA institute in Incident Management and Command, and is a respected member of Public-Private partnerships within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Some of his most notable achievements in the field include leading the private sector response to Hurricane Maria as well as working with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in Continuity of Operations (CCOP) projects for mission-critical facilities in the United States. Erick has also trained with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Infectious Disease Planning and community response, including Point of Dispensing initiatives.
From 2016 to 2019, Erick held several roles at Crowley and, most recently, was the company’s Managing Director of Safety & Resilience. During this time, he was responsible for resilience operations supporting all business segments as well as leading the organization’s safety culture improvement journey. At Crowley, he led the Occupational Health & Safety, Business Continuity, and Crisis Management teams.
Before joining Crowley, Erick held similar roles at Southwest Gas and Third Federal Savings & Loan.
Founder and Principal, One Thirty Nine Consulting
Global Advisory Council Member, Crisis Ready® Institute
Aaron Marks is the founder and principal of One Thirty Nine Consulting, providing services for small and large businesses in Risk, Crisis, and Consequence Management.
Supporting both domestic and international clients, he provides operational and subject matter expertise in readiness and preparedness, crisis and incident management, and business and operational continuity for complex systems and organizations.
Aaron has provided in-depth review, assessment, and analysis for technology, policy, and operational programs for clients in healthcare, critical manufacturing, and entertainment and hospitality, as well as for state, local, tribal, territorial, and federal governments in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. He is a recognized authority on the application of nontraditional techniques and methodologies to meet the unique requirements of training, evaluation, and analytic games and exercise.
Prior to entering the readiness and preparedness field, Aaron was the Director of Operations for a commercial ambulance and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) provider in western New York State where he participated in the integration of commercial EMS and medical transportation resources into the local Trauma System.
During his 30-year career, Aaron has worked in almost every aspect of EMS except fleet services. This includes experience in Hazardous Materials and Tactical Medicine, provision of prehospital care in urban, suburban, rural, and frontier environments, and acting as a team leader for both ground and aeromedical Critical Care Transport Teams.
Aaron is a FEMA Master Exercise Practitioner and received a B.A. in Psychology from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, and a master’s degree in Public Administration with a focus in Emergency Management from Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama. He is also a Nationally Registered Paramedic and currently practices as an Assistant Chief with the Amissville Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department, Amissville Virginia.
Chris is the 11th Police Chief of the Mountain View Police Department, located in the heart of Silicon Valley. For more than 25 years, he has served the Mountain View community, and as the department’s leader, is passionate about maintaining MVPD’s role as a progressive law enforcement organization in the 21st century.
Chris is an internationally recognized speaker and columnist on the areas of crisis communications, critical incident management, leadership, and engagement with stakeholder groups. In his time with Mountain View PD, Chris has held a variety of investigative, tactical, and leadership roles, serving in every division in the organization. He is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government Senior Executives in State and Local Government program and has a master’s degree in eBusiness Management from Notre Dame de Namur in Belmont, CA.
Chris also serves in several leadership positions on multiple boards, including as president on the Government Social Media Leadership Council and committee member on the IACP's Professional Standards, Ethics, and Image Committee. Previously, Chris served as a board member for the Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center and two terms as a commissioner on the City of San Mateo Community Relations Commission.
You can connect with him on Twitter @Chief_Hsiung or LinkedIn.
Ashley is a Brand and Marketing Strategist who partners with CEOs, executives and solopreneurs to grow their personal and professional brands. After spending over a decade working in strategic communications for multimillion dollar brands and startups, Ashley knows what truly drives conversations, builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their stakeholder groups and attracts strong strategic partnerships.
Ashley has helped organizations and leaders increase employee awareness and overall understanding of the company vision. She has strong experience / knowledge of social media tools and techniques for driving awareness, reputation and brand—and is known for advancing a company's messaging in the marketplace by growing the following of now multiple multimillion dollar brands and startups.
Ashley has served as the Editor of monthly all employee publications by managing the planning, writing and production. She is an integral part of new product launches and is frequently engaged to train entire sales teams along with channel / distribution partners on new product launches. In addition to her extensive experience, Ashley is a trained business coach.
Ashley holds a BA in Global Business Management from the University of Phoenix.
