MK Gorman

Title
Associate Professor of the Practice, College of Aviation; Curriculum Chair, Department of Undergraduate Studies
Email
Department
Department of Undergraduate Studies
College
College of Aviation
MK Gorman

Dr. Mary Kathleen "MK" Gorman resides in Richmond, Va, and is the Curriculum Chair for the Undergraduate Department in the College of Aviation at Embry-Riddle Worldwide. She was previously the Program Chair of the B.S. in Safety Management and the B.S. in Emergency Services degree programs and has been with Embry-Riddle since 2010.

Prior to coming to ERAU, Dr. Gorman spend nearly 20 years as a private sector geological consultant administering projects where environmental resources and public health were at risk or contaminated by hazardous materials and toxic chemicals; she has performed hundreds of investigations and remediations to delineate contaminants and mitigate adverse impacts.

Dr. Gorman's research interests and publications range from environmental issues, unconventional energy development, public safety, policy analysis, water quality/quantity challenges, investigative and data analysis methods, and emergency management to Aircraft Rescue & Fire Fighting (ARFF) and the NTSB safety recommendations from the crash of Asiana 214 (2003). Her dissertation examined the social dimensions of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) in the Marcellus shale. Dr. Gorman’s ERAU collaborative research is focused on the nexus of emergency management questions and emerging aviation technology solutions as well as innovative approaches to complex and systemic investigative issues. Dr. Gorman has developed many courses in safety management as well as accident investigation for both the College of Aviation and the Department of Security and Emergency Services in the College of Arts & Sciences. 

Having played competitive softball for more than 30 years, Dr. Gorman never misses the excitement of baseball's Opening Day. She also enjoys golf, horseshoes, cornhole, trying new recipes, keeping up with the neighbors, growing veggies in the dirt and exploring Virginia wineries and micro-breweries.

  • Ph.D. - Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy and Administration: Public Safety Management, Walden University
  • M. - Master in Disaster Science, University of Richmond
  • B.S. - Bachelor of Science in Geology, College of William and Mary
  • IS-00003 Radiological Emergency Management - Emergency Management Institute - FEMA
  • IS-00001 Emergency Program Management, An Orientation to the Position - Emergency Management Institute - FEMA
  • COIN 497: Co-Operative Education
  • COIN 496: Co-Operative Education
  • SFTY 570: Fire Safety Management
  • SFTY 691: Graduate Capstone Course

SFTY 205 Principles of Accident Investigation

SFTY 315 Environmental Compliance and Safety

EMGY 405 Disaster Policy and Management

EMGY 310 Fundamentals of Emergency Management

SFTY 570 Fire Safety Management

SFTY 540 Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response

PHYS 142 Introduction to Environmental Science


Senior Project Geologist, Bennett & Williams, Inc. (1994-2012); Environmental Program Planner, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (1985-1994).

American Society of Safety Professionals

Association of Women Geoscientists

Women in Aviation

National Society of Leadership and Success (2023)

ERAU College of Aeronautics Making a Difference Award (2021)

ERAU Latitude Awards Faculty Member of the Year Finalist (2016)

ERAU College of Arts & Sciences Faculty Member of the Year Award (2014)

Virginia Network Senior Women's Leadership Seminar, Executive Board Women in Higher Ed. (2013-14)

Pi Alpha Alpha Honor Society (2015)

Golden Key International Honour Society (2015)

University of Richmond Disaster Science Book Award (2009)