U.S. Army Corps official, UVa-Wise alumna to lecture May 1.

The public is invited to attend a May 1 science seminar at The University of Virginia’s College at Wise featuring Maria E. de la Torre, chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Baltimore District Emergency Management Branch.

The event begins at noon in the Science Center lecture hall.

De la Torre received a bachelor of science degree in environmental science from UVa-Wise in 1988. She joined the Corps in 1992 after working as a seasonal park ranger with the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority and as an intern with the Chesapeake Bay Consortium.

During her time with the Corps, de la Torre has assisted in recovery activities after floods, hurricanes, tornados and terrorist events. She spent six months overseas in support of NATO’s Kosovo Peacekeeping Mission and was assigned as a project manager for the construction of a 500-acre base camp in the American sector.

As part of her duties, de la Torre and her staff coordinate emergency readiness plans for the Baltimore district in the event of regional or national emergencies. She consults and coordinates with the Federal Emergency Management Agency as well as federal, state and local regulatory and emergency management agencies on the role of the Corps’ Baltimore district in comprehensive disaster plans.

For more information, contact the Office of College Relations at 276-328-0130.

                                                                                                     Posted April 29, 2009