Advisory Council

Marla PETAL: Marla is an expert on disaster mitigation with Bogazici University, Kandilli Observatory & Earthquake Research Institute. She initiated the Institute's Disaster Preparedness Education Program, funded by USAID/OFDA. This project has developed highly regarded models for awareness, outreach, and capacity building for citizen disaster response.

She currently serves as director of Community Mitigation Programs for GeoHazards International and heads their Central Asia Region Earthquake Safety Initiative (CARESI), also funded by USAID/OFDA.

Marla has a Ph.D. in urban planning from the School of Public Policy and Social Research at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is a community organizer with a master's degree in Social Work: Planning & Administration from the University of Houston. She received her bachelor's degree in experimental psychology from the University of Sussex, England.

Marla's current practice and research interests are in community-based disaster mitigation and economic development. She has developed a broad range of public education curricula, cooperative programs with grassroots, non-governmental, public and private sector organizations and action-oriented research projects.

Marla has also served as a consultant for a wide variety of disaster mitigation projects sponsored by the American Red Cross, the United Methodist Committee on Relief, the American Friends Service Committee, the American Jewish World Service, Mercy Corps, Lutheran World Relief, Caritas and the International Union of Local Authorities.