As an emergency manager for the City of New Orleans’ Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, Gregory Doolittle (Emergence 2402) is leading an initiative to tackle one of the biggest challenges in disaster response: the shortage of manpower.
Through his Change Initiative with the Emergence Program, Doolittle is developing a citywide reservist program that trains municipal employees to serve as disaster response staff during emergencies. The goal is simple, but powerful: to create a scalable, trained workforce ready to respond when disaster strikes.
“We’ve had a long-standing gap between the number of people we had during an activation and the number we needed,” Doolittle said. “This was a chance to fix that in a way that was cheap, practical, and impactful.”
The program is already gaining traction. After surveying more than 1,200 city employees, Doolittle found that 500–600 expressed interest in participating. Volunteers will receive general emergency response training, with optional tracks in mass care or logistics.
“Some might help in shelters, others with inventory or coordination,” he explained. “Logistics volunteers could assist with warehouse safety, inventory, and managing unsolicited donations. I’d love to have a roster of up to 200 trained reservists, even if we only deploy 80 during an activation.”
Doolittle’s journey into emergency management began internationally. After earning degrees in international relations and humanitarian emergencies, he spent years working abroad in disaster mitigation.
“I spent a lot of time in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Thailand,” he recalled. “It was a job that had me bouncing around, working on humanitarian projects.”
When international travel stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic, Doolittle pivoted to domestic emergency response; he joined the American Red Cross and managed operations across Texas Gulf Coast. His work with the Red Cross eventually brought him to Louisiana. He now helps oversee disaster preparedness for a city still affected by Hurricane Katrina.
“You can point to Katrina as the turning point,” he said. “Emergency management became a more formal discipline after that. People expect more engagement, more communication, and more support.”
His reservist initiative delivers what the public wants. The program isn’t just about filling staffing gaps: it’s about strengthening the city’s capacity to respond to hurricanes, floods, and other constant threats.
“2025 has been very busy,” Doolittle noted. “Having a trained, scalable workforce means we’re better prepared for whatever comes next.”
His experience with CHDS was instrumental in turning the program from concept to reality.
“My agency was happy someone was willing to marshal resources and get this done,” he said. The Emergence Program gave him the structure and support to refine his vision and create a change initiative that was easily implemented.
Doolittle credits his CHDS advisors and cohort with helping him sharpen his idea and collaborate effectively with fellow students and instructors. Having not been in an academic setting for more than a decade, he found the experience both refreshing and energizing.
“It’s rare for me to find a group of people so like-minded,’” he said. “Everyone brought different experiences, and it was just a really supportive group.”
The network he built at CHDS continues to be a source of inspiration and connection.
“One thing I love about this field is the constant opportunity for learning. CHDS makes that accessible, and it’s something I hope to continue pursuing,” he said, adding that he’s now considering a second master’s degree.
Looking ahead, Doolittle sees potential for regional expansion of the reservist model.
“Long-term, we could use these reservists to help smaller counties impacted by disasters that don’t hit us directly,” he said, noting that the program could serve as a blueprint for other municipalities facing similar staffing challenges.
In a city where disaster response is not a question of if, but when, Doolittle’s initiative is a timely and strategic investment. By mobilizing local talent and building a culture of preparedness, he is paving the way for a stronger, more prepared community through his proactive leadership.
