Alerts, Cats, and Ice Cream: Getting to Know Jeannette Sutton

Who is Dr. Jeannette Sutton, and how did she become one of the most influential voices in emergency alerting and warning research?In this special episode of The Alerting Authority, co-host Eddie Bertola turns the tables and interviews Dr. Jeannette Sutton about her personal journey, professional influences, and vision for the future of emergency communication.From her early work as a chaplain and victim advocate following the Columbine tragedy to conducting rapid-response research after 9/11, Dr. Sutton shares the experiences that shaped her career in disaster research, risk communication, and public warning systems. She discusses the mentors who influenced her, including Dennis Mileti and Kathleen Tierney, and reflects on groundbreaking research involving social media, disaster communication, and public response to emergencies.The conversation also explores: The evolution of emergency alerting and warning systems  Why research and real-world emergency management often struggle to connect  Common mistakes in emergency alerts and warning messages  The importance of plain language communication  Public trust, alert fatigue, and over-alerting  The future of AI-generated emergency alerts  New warning standards and best practices  The Warning Bootcamp and improving message design  Dr. Sutton’s life outside of academia, including quilting, birdwatching, hiking, and endurance trail events Whether you're an emergency manager, public safety communicator, researcher, student, or simply interested in how life-saving alerts are designed, this episode offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at one of the field’s leading experts.Every second has a story—and today, you’ll hear Dr. Jeannette Sutton’s.