JACKSON, Miss. (Feb. 24, 2025) – True North, a Neel-Schaffer company, is proud to announce the appointment of Victoria Kelley as Director of Emergency Management.

Victoria brings over a decade of expertise in disaster debris monitoring and will lead True North’s debris monitoring operations. Her focus will include optimizing personnel, refining processes, leveraging technology, driving innovation, and strengthening client relationships.

“As we mapped out our strategic direction, it became evident just how crucial this discipline is to our long-term success,” said Joey Hudnall, PE, President and CEO of Neel-Schaffer. “Victoria’s expertise, demonstrated in recent disaster response efforts and years of industry experience, will help us continue to grow this discipline and strengthen our impact.”

About Neel-Schaffer and True North

Founded in 1983, Neel-Schaffer is a multi-disciplined engineering, planning, and construction management firm. In 2010, the firm reorganized its emergency management services into True North Emergency Management to enhance its focus on emergency preparedness and response. This division builds upon the resources developed during disaster relief efforts for the Mississippi Gulf Coast and New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, one of the most devastating natural disasters in U.S. history.

True North now provides specialized emergency management services, including debris monitoring, across the United States. From wildfires in California and flooding in Iowa, Texas, and Tennessee, to tornadoes in Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas, and hurricanes in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas, True North has been at the forefront of disaster response.

In 2024, True North responded to three major hurricanes (Beryl, Milton, and Helene), activating contracts and providing debris monitoring services for multiple clients across Texas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

About Victoria Kelley

Victoria has extensive experience in debris removal monitoring, having managed or supervised 50 storm cleanup activations in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Texas, and the US Virgin Islands. Her expertise includes leading large-scale staff augmentation efforts, such as hiring over 500 employees in a single month to meet urgent disaster response needs.

She has developed and implemented key programs for invoicing, onboarding, and training, established databases to track performance metrics, and acted as a liaison between clients, internal stakeholders, and regulatory agencies to ensure compliance with federal policies and regulations.

Victoria holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Mississippi and has earned more than a dozen emergency response certifications through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

We are thrilled to welcome Victoria Kelley to the team as we continue to expand and enhance our emergency management services.