Alumni Spotlight - Mary Schoenfeldt

As a young mom, Mary Schoenfeldt worked and attended EvCC. In 1977, she began the Western Washington University human services program at EvCC, later receiving a degree from EvCC and her bachelor's from WWU while attending both colleges concurrently. She went on to work in the juvenile court system, an adolescent substance abuse treatment program, and educational counseling, while her book on school crisis management contributed to the model currently used by the U.S. Department of Education and FEMA. Mary's career has taken her from the Oso mudslide to Sandy Hook and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. "Take as much as you can from your experiences," she advises. "The path ahead will have unexpected twists and turns, but each will provide a step forward to unknown opportunities."

What is your current occupation/career?

I am an Emergency Management Professional with a specialty in community and school crisis. I do contract work for various clients, am an Adjunct Facility for FEMA’s
Emergency Management Institute in the National Emergency Manager Advanced Academy, a Subject Matter Expert for US Department of Education and an Instructor for National Disaster Preparedness Training Center. My “career” is focused on Emergency/Disaster Planning and Response with an emphasis on Disaster Psychology and Disaster Mental Health. In that role, I have worked with systems and communities all over the world to plan and prepare for disasters and have also personally responded to disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, Littleton Colorado Columbine HS Shooting, the Haitian Earthquake, Hurricane Sandy, Oso Mudslide, Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting and was the Director of Recovery for the Marysville School District following the shooting in the Marysville Pilchuck HS Cafeteria.

I am also Board President of Green Cross Academy of Traumatology.. an international non-profit agency that provides training and humanitarian services during disasters with an emphasis on Compassion Fatigue and Disaster Stress Management for professionals and volunteers.

How did you choose EvCC? Was there a selection process involved in your decision making?

I began college just out of high school and attended Eastern Washington State College. I quit after just one year to get married and we moved to Everett. We started our family here and I became involved with the Family Life Program at EvCC…. Low income Preschool …and became a staff member there. As a young mom, I worked and took classes now and then at EvCC and in 1977 became interested in WWU Human Services Program. I needed to finish my Associates in order to complete my BA and EvCC was the perfect choice to do that. WWU was offering it’s first off campus program in Everett so I could continue working, attend EvCC and WWU Human Services all in my own community.

Do you think your time at EvCC helped you pursue your current career?

EvCC was the foundation for my current career even though I had no idea where that career would lead me. My time with the family life program introduced me to a professional world of making a difference and to people I had great admiration for and wanted to be like. Human Services is a broad field and without the AA degree from EvCC, I would not have been able to pursue the BA degree and then the opportunities that came my way.

What did you do after you left or graduated from EvCC?

When I left EvCC, I finished my degree at WWU. From there, I worked for Snohomish County Juvenile Court, Everett Police Department, an adolescent substance abuse treatment program in California, an educational consulting company, and was asked to provide customized training and services to a consortium of schools on the topic of school crisis management. My interest in that topic had been growing and the result was the first ever published book on school crisis response, which became the California model for school crisis response for all their schools and eventually combined with information to become the US Department of Education and FEMA model for school crisis management.

I worked all over the country and then, in 2007, I had the opportunity to come back home to the City of Everett and bring all that I’d learned to my own community. I joined the Everett Office of Emergency Management with the intention of retiring from there and was there until I left to take the short-term position of Director of Recovery for Marysville School District as the result of the shooting. I “retired” from there in 2015. I’ve always defined retirement as having the resources to do what you love. For me, that is to continue to make a difference and contribute to a field that I am constantly learning new things about: emergency management.

Was there anyone during your time at EvCC who acted as a mentor for you?

The staff in the family life department: Margaret McNeil, Betty Morrow, Liz McLaughlin, and Betty Welch were my mentors. I saw them as competent, educated,
dedicated professional women. They believed in me and that I could become one, too. The head of the Women’s Center at EvCC was Joan Tucker. She also stood out
as someone I’d like to “grow up” to be like. The funny thing is, Joan and I reconnected just a few years ago when she joined a women’s RV group I belong to! We did the, “You look familiar, where do I know you from?” dance.

What words of advice would you give to current EvCC students?

My advice is to take as much as you can from your experience and know that the path ahead will have twists, turns and tumbles that you didn’t anticipate. Each will provide a step forward to unknown opportunities.

Any other information you would like to provide?

One of my daughters graduated from EvCC in early childhood education. My grandson is also planning to attend EvCC on his path to becoming a high school band
teacher.

I am also the president of Everett Port Gardner Rotary and have found Rotary to be a way to maximize my desire to be involved in my community and help others.

I am a Hall of Fame member of the International Network of Women in Emergency Management and have been recognized with lifetime achievement and other awards from various other international associations.

I had a goal to have my master’s degree by the time I was 50, but that age came and went. In my mid 60’s however, I decided not to give up on that goal and completed my masters and then went on to complete my doctorate. I’m proud of that.