WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – The U.S. Council of the International Association of Emergency Managers has selected William A. Schlosser as the association’s 2024 Emergency Management Educator of the Year. Schlosser is an emergency management and homeland security instructor at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

The award was presented at the 72nd IAEM-USA Annual Conference’s President’s Banquet and Awards Ceremony, held recently in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Schlosser was lauded for his dedication in educating and preparing students for the emergency management field and for his passion for the profession.

“Instructor Schlosser’s method of teaching is very hands-on,” his nomination stated. “Whether through field trips to the historical disaster site of the Johnstown Flood or to emergency management partners, such as the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and the Pennsylvania State Police Academy, instructor Schlosser is always trying to get his students in the field. He also uses exercises as a method of engaging students. These exercises can be simulations but sometimes use real-world, real-time incidents to model incident response, recovery and planning.”

Also noted was his leadership in the college’s annual Rotorfest, an interactive career exploration day that showcases emergency response vehicles and professionals and attracts high school visitors from across the state, and his involvement in the emergency management & homeland security program’s full-scale exercise, conducted to boost students’ emergency response skills.

Schlosser’s outreach to K-12 educators and students, as well as his active engagement with emergency management organizations and colleagues, were also commended.

The Emergency Management Educator of the Year Award recognizes educators who have demonstrated outstanding achievement as educators of students within the field of emergency management. It recognizes and rewards educators’ special skills and excellence throughout the U.S. The award recognizes general or special topics within the field of emergency management, such as incident action planning, emergency operations center and incident command.

IAEM-USA, the nation’s largest emergency management professional association, is a nonprofit organization representing 5,800 emergency management and homeland security professionals for local communities, state and federal disaster officials, the private sector, nongovernmental operations and others involved in preparing for, responding to and recovering from all types of disasters, including acts of terrorism.

In addition to his full-time faculty role at Penn College, Schlosser is commander of the Pennsylvania Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. He is a graduate of the Air Command and Staff College and the Air War College. Both are operated by Air University, U.S. Air Force. He holds a master’s degree in emergency and disaster management from American Military University and a bachelor’s degree in music from Mansfield University. Schlosser is an Eagle Scout.

Schlosser is the school safety and security coordinator for Southern Tioga School District. He volunteers as the emergency management coordinator for his hometown, Mansfield Borough, and also serves on the Mansfield Borough Council and chairs its Safety Committee.

Penn College offers a Bachelor of Science degree in emergency management & homeland security – with on-campus and online options. To learn more about the major, visit www.pct.edu/em or call the School of Business, Arts & Sciences at 570-327-4521.

For more about Penn College, a national leader in applied technology education, visit www.pct.edu, email admissions@pct.edu or call toll-free at 800-367-9222.