CLEVELAND, OH – The Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs announces a strategic merging of the Center for Public and Nonprofit Management (CPNM) and the Center for Emergency Preparedness in an effort to better serve Northeast Ohio's public safety training needs.

As Dean Roland V. Anglin noted, "The Center for Emergency Preparedness has filled an important niche over the years - especially in fire safety. We as a College recognize the increased need for trained emergency management professionals who can work across the spectrum of police, fire, and emergency response. It became clear after speaking with constituents in the public safety community throughout the region that we could better focus our efforts by positioning the Center for Emergency Preparedness within the CPNM. This will enable us to more closely align with and build on our growing academic focus in public safety management and local governments without losing our stock capacity. Through this strategic merging, the College intends to expand its programming in areas such as community resilience, cross-sector management and response, and cyber security."

"We view this initiative as the creation of a one-stop shop for multiple aspects of training in emergency management,” states Rob Ziol, Director of the Center for Public and Nonprofit Management. "We equip our stakeholders with resources supporting management, leadership, and technical skill development. This merger addresses the ever-changing needs of the public sector, and I look forward to leveraging our team's strengths to improve our programmatic offerings.” The Center for Emergency Preparedness will join CPNM, and Ziol will oversee the combined operations.

Collectively, both Centers have provided high-quality technical, managerial, and leadership development programs for over fifty years. Since 1984, the Center for Emergency Preparedness has offered hazardous material, homeland security, and business continuity training taught by certified subject-matter experts. Integration with CPNM will enable expansion of these training programs to include leadership and management.

The Center for Public and Nonprofit Management integrates several functions within the College – connecting professional development, student enrichment, and faculty engagement for Northeast Ohio's public and nonprofit sectors. It serves as the official Certified Public Manager® (CPM) program for the State of Ohio and offers comprehensive and nationally certified development programs for state and local government leaders.