After nearly nine years of working at the University of North Florida, Director of Emergency Management Bob Greenlaw will be retiring Jan 30.

Greenlaw has been shaping safety and preparedness at UNF since 2017, when he first joined as a consultant before being hired full-time in 2021. But his roots in emergency management stretch back decades, to when he was just 14 years old during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

“We were worried about nuclear war and talking about building fallout shelters,” Greenlaw said. “That’s where it all started—But I’ve done it all over the years — law enforcement, fire, EMS, and emergency management.”

Building UNF’s Emergency Backbone

Since arriving at UNF, Greenlaw has transformed how the university prepares for and responds to crises. He established the Emergency Operations Center and implemented the ReadyOp program, a digital coordination platform that UNF has used successfully for five years. He also helped the university earn certification as a StormReady University—a designation from the National Weather Service recognizing institutions with comprehensive severe weather plans.

Greenlaw has developed unique annexes within UNF’s emergency framework, including a Point of Distribution plan to support the community during disasters. 

“We have an agreement with the Department of Health to set up a POD at UNF—to help what I call the ‘UNF Family,’” Greenlaw said. “That was a big program we studied and put into place.”

He’s also led efforts to strengthen plans for mass-violence incidents, working closely with counselors, clergy, and campus police to establish a Reunification Center System—a designated space for families and students to reconnect after an emergency.

“We’re constantly updating our business emergency plans,” Greenlaw said. “Athletics, the Student Union—each department has evacuation and response plans.”

Coordinating Across Campus

Behind the scenes, Greenlaw manages UNF’s Incident Management Team, a group of representatives from departments like UPD, Housing, and Physical Facilities who meet regularly to train and simulate emergency responses. 

“We hold exercises three times a year,” Greenlaw said. “Everyone comes together to work on what the problem is, so when something real happens, we’re ready.”

UNF’s preparedness model even accounts for modern challenges like remote coordination. 

“We have a Zoom EOC—an emergency operations center online,” Greenlaw said. “If there’s a lockdown or travel restriction, we can activate it from anywhere in the world.”

That adaptability proved crucial during COVID-19, the largest emergency of Greenlaw’s UNF tenure. 

“We’ve been very lucky,” Greenlaw said. “Other than COVID, we haven’t had major emergencies in my eight years—but when it mattered most, we took care of our students. It worked out really well.”

Leadership and Legacy

After decades of experience responding to crises from the World Trade Center attacks to wildfires in New Jersey, Greenlaw says what matters most is teamwork.

 “UNF has a great team. When something happens, we have people who are willing to be called on and do their best,” he said.

He also takes pride in how far the university’s emergency management program has come. “We started at a lower level and brought it up higher,” he said. “It’s important to me that UNF keeps moving forward.”

As he reflects on his career and prepares for retirement, Greenlaw’s message to the UNF community is simple: “I think we’re leaving them in good shape. I care deeply about this place and the people here. It’s an involved program, and everything we do is to keep the university safe.”

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