Patricia Bowyer, EdD (Professor, Houston Center) has been appointed to the Advisory Board with the City of Houston Office of Emergency Management.

"After volunteering at the George R. Brown Convention Center during Hurricane Harvey, I became personally and acutely aware of the unmet needs of individuals with disabilities during a natural disaster," Bowyer said. "I shared my concerns with my colleagues with the LoneStar LEND of which I am on the Advisory Board, Faculty and Associate Research Director."

"We discussed the possibility of creating a Student Leadership Project focused on disaster preparedness for caregivers and individuals with autism and intellectual disabilities. The need for such a project was recognized by the LEND Advisory Board and faculty members. As a result, over the past three years the LoneStar LEND trainees have been working on a natural disaster preparedness project."

A culmination of this work has been the appointment of several LEND members to the Office of Emergency Management Advisory Board for Community Preparedness for DAFN and Vulnerable Populations.

"I am grateful to be able to serve the Houston community in this capacity and look forward to the changes that will occur as a result of the LEND members involvement on the Advisory Board," Bowyer said.