Karen Kent

Karen Kent accepted the position of Planning Coordinator for Greenville County Emergency Management, in July of 2022. Before starting her career in Emergency Services, Karen studied at Lander University, where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in Sociology with an emphasis on Criminal Justice. In 2013, she began her career in Emergency Services as a 911 Dispatcher for Pickens County Sheriff’s Office. Later, in October of 2016, Karen accepted the position of Emergency Management Coordinator for Pickens County. In the first few months that she was with Pickens County Emergency Management, she experienced her first declared disaster, the Pinnacle Mountain Fire, where she played an integral part with logistics. During her time at Pickens County Emergency Management, she assisted with writing several emergency plans, collaborated with FEMA for reimbursement after disasters, and coordinated events. In 2020, Karen obtained her certification from South Carolina Emergency Association as a Certified Emergency Manager. More recently, Karen assisted public safety agencies as a Marketing Director and Customer Account Manager at Safe Industries. When Karen is not servicing the community, she enjoys spending time with her family and working on her two online custom design businesses, First Responder Design and Project Made DIY.