Jeff Schlegelmilch is the director for the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia Climate School. In this role, he oversees the operations and strategic planning for the center. He also oversees projects related to the practice and policy of disaster preparedness. His areas of expertise include public health preparedness, community resilience and the integration of private and public sector capabilities. 

Schlegelmilch has advised leaders on preparedness systems and policy at all levels of government. He is an opinion contributor with The Hill and is frequently interviewed as a subject-matter expert for numerous media outlets. He is also the author Rethinking Readiness: A Brief Guide to Twenty-First-Century Megadisasters, and co-author of Catastrophic Incentives: Why Our Approaches To Disasters Keep Falling Short, both published by Columbia University Press. He holds a master’s degree in public health from University of Massachusetts Amherst in Health Policy and Management and a master’s in business administration from Quinnipiac University.