Anderson County has a new Emergency Preparedness Director. Commissioners selected a county native with a background in emergency communications to fill the post. Sarah Burkhart, of Garnett will leave her position as an Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Dispatcher May 2nd and begin her new position heading up emergency management on May 5th.
Burkhart graduated from Anderson County High School in 2000 and holds a Bachelor’s in Business from Emporia State University, as well as a Bachelors in Human and Social Services from Ottawa University. She’s worked for Anderson County dispatch for five years; prior to that she managed a local convenience store, worked at the county health department, the Elizabeth Layton Center and with State Farm Insurance. Burkhart says emergency management requires a lot of formal training, from FEMA courses to state-level emergency planning and response certifications, but there’s also a huge hands-on component. She says she was drawn to the job by the opportunity to give back, as the community has always given so much to her, and she’s proud to continue serving it in a way that helps protect and prepare the people and places she care most about.
