Melissa Knapp is an emergency response coordinator at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. She works on both continuity of operations/continuity of government and incident response. She comes to the NRC from the Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration’s Office of Emergency Management. Melissa served in different roles at NNSA including Partnership Program Lead and as a liaison officer. Both positions required her to work closely with the Department of Energy’s Emergency Management Community of Practice focusing on integration and collaboration between the Management & Operations emergency management teams and the personnel conducting federal oversight to support emergency management and readiness assurance programs.

In her federal career, Melissa has worked as an exercise coordinator at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and as an emergency management program manager at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC). At WRNMMC, she played an integral role in facility readiness and response for all-hazards incidents and planned events, continuity of operations, Joint Commission compliance, and partnerships with local healthcare coalitions and other organizations. In addition to her emergency management experience, Melissa previously taught elementary school and planned and implemented youth leadership conferences around the world. She is a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) and Certified Healthcare Emergency Planner. Melissa graduated from Auburn University with a B.S. in Elementary Education and received her Master’s in Engineering Management with a focus on Crisis, Emergency and Risk Management from The George Washington University.