About the Director
Experience Summary
Mariana Leckner, Ph.D., CFM, NJCEM, has over 20 years professional experience with research, assessment and planning of hazards, and with education, training and outreach. She formerly worked as a Professor with the American Military University’s Science Program, and served three years as the Program Director for Science. Prior to AMU, she was employed with the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management where she chaired the NJ Special Needs Advisory Panel, produced New Jersey’s weather–related hazard plans, managed and produced evacuation plans, and created weather-related operational procedures, coordinated flood warning systems planning, developed and delivered public outreach and professional training, coordinated numerous planning meetings and exercises, and chaired various committees. Mariana served as liaison to Federal agencies, to include assisting the Army Corps of Engineers with NJ Hurricane Evacuation Re-Study outreach and training, and serving as Chair of the National Weather Service's StormReady Program. Mariana also performed duties as an operations officer for emergency events, trained emergency operations center staff, produced Preparedness Unit reports, and managed Federally-funded grants to state, county and municipal agencies and jurisdictions.
Mariana served as a State Emergency Operations Center Operations Officer for numerous weather events and other emergencies to include the events of 9/11, the anthrax emergency as well as regularly scheduled nuclear drills. Prior to the NJ Office of Emergency Management she was employed by the American Red Cross as the State Resource Management Specialist and State Training Coordinator. She served as a mass care specialist, training officer and logistics specialist, participating in various responses to include Hurricane Floyd and the crane collapse in Times Square.
Mariana has a Bachelors degree in International Relations, a minor in Latin American Studies, and a Masters degree in Marine Affairs from the University of Virginia. She completed her doctoral work in Geography at Rutgers University, focusing hazards geography, with a dissertation addressing coastal New Jersey. Mariana has received awards and commendations for her work from the American Red Cross, New Jersey County Emergency Managers' Association, the National Weather Service, the National Hurricane Center, ALERT Users Group (NHWC), Trenton Fire Department, and New Jersey Army National Guard.
Professional Activities
Mariana currently serves on the following:
New Jersey Climate Change Alliance, Advisory Committee
New Jersey Coastal Resilience Collaborative
New Jersey Certified Emergency Manager Commissioner
Mariana is a member of:
International Association of Emergency Managers
American Meteorological Society
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Association of State Floodplain Managers
New Jersey Association for Floodplain Management
National Hydrologic Warning Council
