Peterson to Serve on State's Emergency Response Commission

Gov. Matt Mead has appointed Laura Peterson, chief risk officer at the University of Wyoming, to serve on the State’s Emergency Response Commission.

Created in 1987, the commission designates local emergency planning districts within the state and appoints a local emergency planning committee to serve each of the districts. Additionally, the commission coordinates and supervises activities of the local committees; reviews local emergency response plans annually; and receives all chemical release notifications and inventory reports.

Peterson came to UW in 2010 after serving as state risk manager for the state of Nebraska and as the agency general counsel for the Nebraska Department of Administrative Services. She served as president of the Public Risk Management Association, a nationally recognized organization that provides professional support to insurance and risk management administrators.

UW Risk Management and Safety provides a variety of support and services to UW departments and personnel and is responsible for all environmental and occupational health and safety programs, including safety training and monitoring; fire prevention; biosafety; radiation safety; environmental management; and laboratory safety. It also is responsible for UW’s risk management, insurance and self-insurance programs.

Peterson received a B.S. in business administration and a J.D., both from Creighton University, and an M.P.A. from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.