Rebecca "Becky" Rouse
Professor of Practice and Associate Director of Emergency & Security Studies
Biography
Rebecca “Becky” Rouse is a Professor of Practice and Associate Director of Emergency & Security Studies at Tulane University’s School of Professional Advancement (SoPA). Rouse has designed curriculum and taught courses in political science, research methods, homeland security and emergency management in both classroom and online settings since 2008. She received SoPA’s Distinguished Faculty Honors in 2020.
Rouse is a retired U.S. Army officer, serving in the Military Police Corps in tactical, law enforcement, corrections and antiterrorism billets. She earned her master’s in political science from Syracuse University and later taught at the U.S. Military Academy. She concluded her Army service as speechwriter and strategic advisor to four combatant commanders.
Following her Army retirement, Rouse coordinated U.S. Northern Command’s Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) Executive Seminar, served as speechwriter for the Social Security Administration’s Acting Administrator, was a program director and instructor for multiple homeland security programs and functioned as a Training Specialist for Federal Emergency Management Agency. She joined Tulane University full-time in 2020.
Rouse also serves as the executive director for the Colorado Emergency Preparedness Partnership, a nonprofit entity focused on building relationships between public and private sector entities to promote a culture of preparedness.
Rouse earned a Doctor of Management in Homeland Security, a Master of Arts in Political Science, a Graduate Certificate in Homeland Defense and Conflict Resolution and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice.
Education
Colorado Technical University
University of Colorado
Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Northwestern University
University of Northern Colorado
Accomplishments
SoPA Distinguished Faculty ESS (Online) awardee
2020
ESS faculty advisory board
2020
Media Appearances
FEMA remains on the chopping block, even after the deadly Texas Hill Country floods
Not everyone associated with FEMA is concerned about how states would handle its elimination. Rebecca Rouse, a former official with the agency, is now the associate program director for emergency and security studies at Tulane University. Rouse says the combination of federal agencies like the Coast Guard, together with state and local agencies and nonprofits, often play a more important role in immediate response to disasters than does FEMA.
Hurricane Katrina fueled major reforms at FEMA. Now, its future is uncertain
Big picture view:
The failure of the federal levee system designed to protect the below-sea-level city of New Orleans brought "dramatic and immediate hazards, chaos, and unexpected horrors" no one could have predicted, explained Rebecca Rouse, a professor at Tulane University’s School of Professional Advancement and a former FEMA employee.
Emergency management experts respond to Texas’ deadly flooding
“This is another tricky one, where we’ve seen in other disasters, a siren goes off and people don’t necessarily know what that siren means. If it’s, you know, Texas gets tornadoes, for example. If I’ve got a siren and I’m using it, do I even know what kind of disaster is it? A wildfire? Is it flood?” Rouse said.
Capitol Police warn of post-election threats ahead of inauguration
Rebecca Rouse, an emergency and security expert said Capitol Police are also looking at social media for rhetoric that could lead to politically motivated violence.
FEMA conspiracy theories that have stoked chaos in the South date to the 1980s
Rebecca Rouse, a professor who teaches practice, emergency and security studies at Tulane University and previously worked at FEMA from 2019 to 2020, told NBC News that real events often help seed the beginnings of false conspiracy theories. She said she thinks the existence of detention camps throughout history, including U.S. camps that imprisoned people of Japanese descent during World War II and the current migrant camps at the U.S.-Mexico border, have fueled the conspiracy theories.
FEMA conspiracy theories have existed for decades. How the internet has amplified them
Becky Rouse, a former FEMA employee who teaches emergency management and homeland security courses at Tulane University, said the theories tie into a general distrust of government and the military.
How FEMA tries to combat rumors and conspiracy theories about Milton and Helene
"I would say all of FEMA was encouraged to promote folks checking in with that rumor control website," said Rebecca Rouse, a former FEMA staffer who now teaches emergency and security studies at Tulane University.
New Orleans-area non-profits ready to help Floridians
“And so we start to see what they call like a disaster fatigue is what I’ve heard it called in the past,” said Dr. Rebecca Rouse, of Tulane University’s Emergency & Security Studies Program.
As costly natural disasters pile up, coffers for federal aid need replenishing
Tulane University’s Dr. Rebecca Rouse is familiar with emergency planning. She worked for FEMA and the Defense Department and is currently the associate program director for Emergency and Security Studies at the university.
Local Jewish leader reacts to missile attack; Professor says the attack was expected
Tulane University professor Rebecca Rouse said before Iran's attack, Israel landed a series of devastating blows against the leadership of Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group.
Baltimore bridge rescue effort faced tough conditions and ticking clock
Finding people on the water’s surface during the night is “a bit like a needle in a haystack,” said Rebecca Rouse, the associate program director for emergency and security studies at Tulane University. “Folks who are submerged, or vehicles or pieces of the bridge, that’s going to be even more challenging.”
“There may be countless threats and hazards for folks to consider areas to where they might remain or relocate,” says professor at Tulane University, Rebecca Rouse. “Hazards include weather, climate, air quality, natural disasters, technological failures,
“There may be countless threats and hazards for folks to consider areas to where they might remain or relocate,” says professor at Tulane University, Rebecca Rouse. “Hazards include weather, climate, air quality, natural disasters, technological failures, accidental events, and more.
La. National Guard, others prepare for possible ‘armed protests’; experts weigh in
“We’ve heard and we’ve seen on social media there’s some expectation that maybe groups will protest wherever they are, it won’t just happen in D.C. Will it be violent? We don’t know,” said Rouse. “Well, communities don’t want to wait and find out and say, wow, we need re-enforcement and help now, they want to be prepared in advance.”
