Are you ready in the face of a disaster? What should you have on hand? In episode 28 Tonya talks with Max Dunlap, Amarillo’s Deputy Director for Emergency Management. He's the Yellow City' go-to professional for information regarding personal preparedness (i.e., what we should do, have and know), as well as management and response in the face of an emergency.

Max hails from the small mountain town of Westcliffe, Colorado. While growing up, he split his time between his family’s land and a nearby, large-scale commercial horse ranch; he praises his ranching hometown for instilling in him the true meaning of public service. Since he was a teenager, he knew that he wanted a life in service, especially after feeling the effects of working as a volunteer youth firefighter. Continuing his commitment to service, Max enlisted in the military and later earned his Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice from the Metropolitan State University of Denver.

He came to the city in 2019 as the entry-level Emergency Management Planner, but he quickly rose to the Deputy Director position in 2020 and then became Director in December 2022. Max brings almost two decades of experience in crisis leadership, disaster response, civic communication, public safety, and compliance to his position. He believes that strong communities are built by engaged individuals, and emergency preparedness works the same way: take care of yourself so that you are in a position to help take care of others.

Driven to help foster multi-agency cohesion and bridge gaps through knowledge, Max has dedicated his time at Emergency Management to informing as many residents as possible. When he's off the clock, Max enjoys working in his garden, tinkering on projects, and -- most of all -- spending time with his wife Caitlan and their son, Samuel.

In Episode 27, Tonya talks with Amarillo's own Timothy Ingalls about land regeneration, holistic range management, his deep family history in the Texas Panhandle, his work with the Tecovas Foundation, and so much more.

Tim is fourth-generation owner and manager of the Frying Pan Ranch (Bush-Emeny Properties) in the Texas Panhandle, as well as a philanthropist. He is proud to have been born and raised in Amarillo, and he has spent his life working to make the city more efficient with its resources. Following high school, he spent five years traveling globally. When he returned to the United States, he attended college at Washington University in St. Louis, earning his degree in Economics. He later moved around a bit, trying out different lifestyles and regions -- but the call to home was strong, so he's been in the Yellow City ever since. Tim is an advocate for land rehydration, bike-friendly infrastructure, environmental management for range land, and conservation-minded municipal management. We had a lively discussion about Amarillo, our resources, and how best to protect them.

In Episode 26, Tonya Kleuskens talks with John Umphress about the 89th Texas Legislature passing HB14, which allows for $350 million to be used to increase nuclear power in Texas. About $120 million of this funding is earmarked for both Texas Tech University and Abilene Christian University (for research on a molten salt reactor). The bill also establishes the Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office to oversee this support.

John Umphress is a life-long resident of Texas with more than four decades of experience in public policy, mostly in the fields of water and energy resources. Prior to his retirement, John spent 14 years at Austin Energy, where he developed the residential energy code for the city of Austin. His goal for the code was to encourage the design and construction of net-zero energy homes. He is currently an apiarist, or beekeeper, running 240 colonies and building a net-zero home in Burnet County.

DIVE DEEPER!

Learn more about HB14, including written text and sponsors.