Since her early years as a Girl Scout, Heather has always sought to make a difference. After graduating college, she served our country with 23 years of distinguished Naval service. Dedicated to self-improvement, she obtained masters degrees in Asian studies, conflict resolution, cyber security policy and emergency management while on active duty.  She is qualified as an Associate Emergency Manager (AEM) and is currently working on a PhD in Public Policy and Administration / Emergency Management focusing specifically on childcare recovery. 
As a working parent of two, she became aware of just how much of a gap existed in emergency preparedness and recovery training and resources for childcare providers and vowed to use her experiences, education, and more importantly, motivation, to help improve current limitations.  Her desire to bridge the gap between emergency management and childcare communities culminated in the founding of BLOCKS, a nonprofit with a mission to help keep our children safe by preparing childcare for disaster. She also founded Train 4 Safety Press and publishes picture books teaching young children what to do in the event of disaster.Links  Links linkedin.com/in/heather-beal-aem http://train4safety.com/  http://www.blocksusa.org/early-prepare.html