Recovery and Resiliency Division

Boulder County, Colorado is known for its natural beauty. Along with the breathtaking scenery comes a harsh truth: the county faces frequent natural disasters. From wildfires to blizzards, flash floods or heat waves, these aren’t just possibilities—they happen regularly. Since the Fourmile fire in 2010, it is estimated that there have been less than 40 days when Boulder County has not been responding to or recovering from a disaster. 

Vision

The Recovery and Resiliency Division provides internal and external county-wide recovery coordination efforts through a lens of justice and equity.

Mission

The Recovery and Resiliency Division will ensure that all residents of Boulder County have both the information and resources needed to fully participate and engage in recovery following disasters occurring within the county. 

Recovery

Disaster recovery needs vary from person to person. During recovery, Boulder County might be responsible for a range of activities such as rebuilding infrastructure, managing debris removal and offering personalized support to residents trying to navigate the aftermath. Our recovery coordination serves neighbors in crisis by building efficiency, connecting people to resources, and acting as a reliable source of information.

The Recovery and Resiliency Division of Boulder County supports both Boulder County as an organization and residents navigating the recovery process. 

Resiliency

Resiliency means the ability of communities to rebound, positively adapt to, or thrive amidst changing conditions or challenges, including human-caused and natural disasters, and to maintain quality of life, healthy growth, durable systems, economic vitality, and conservation of resources for present and future generations.

Just as with recovery, resiliency has both internal and external components.  Internal components include regular connections across teams and departments ensuring that Boulder County as an organization is prepared to aid recovery in all forms. Externally resilience activities will center equity, in line with Boulder County values and goals. 

Response and Preparedness

Visit the Boulder Office of Disaster Management website for more details about response and preparedness in Boulder County.

The Recovery and Resiliency Division for Boulder County works closely with the Boulder County Office of Disaster Management to ensure that the transition from response to recovery to resiliency/preparedness is as seamless and clear as possible.

Meet the Recovery and Resiliency Team

Michelle Stinnett, Division Manager
mstinnett@bouldercounty.gov

Michelle is the Division Manager for Boulder County’s Recovery and Resiliency Division. In this role, she is responsible for leading Boulder County’s overall recovery efforts, acting as a liaison between disaster survivors, recovery partners, and government agencies while ensuring a smooth transition from emergency response to recovery. Prior to joining Boulder County, Michelle worked in both the nonprofit sector and state government on disaster recovery and resilience initiatives in Colorado after the 2013 flood and 2021 Marshall Fire, Louisiana after Hurricanes Laura, Delta and Ida, Kentucky after the December 2021 tornadoes and July 2022 floods, and Florida after Hurricane Ian. Michelle’s area of expertise is in disaster finance, and she has been responsible for the effective deployment of $500 million in federal and state grant programs over the last six years.

Michelle earned her Bachelor of Science in Accounting and MBA degrees from Metropolitan State University of Denver and Liberty University respectively. She currently resides in Aurora, Colorado with her husband and children.

Katie Arrington, Program Manager
karrington@bouldercounty.gov

Katie is a Program Manager with Boulder County’s Recovery and Resiliency Division. She’s been working for Boulder County since 2013 when she was hired help with flood recovery. She found her way into this work based on experiences as a child; she experienced both the 1994 Northridge earthquake and regular wildfire risks. Katie has her M.P.H. with a specialization in emergency preparedness from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Katie’s passion is in community engagement during recovery and better how disaster recovery efforts can center issues surrounding racial equity. She is a certified practitioner in the Courageous Conversations About Race protocol and is deeply committed to racial equity work both in disaster recovery and in Boulder County at large.

Katie lives in Lafayette with her husband, two children, and dog and loves biking on all the open space trails in her community. Katie learned to sew when she was 11 and has been quilting ever since, some of her quilts hang in the Boulder County Courthouse. As a committed public servant, Katie is committed to serving the community through any future recovery efforts for many years to come.

Ryan Airey, Program Manager
rairey@bouldercounty.gov

Ryan is a Program Manager with Boulder County’s Recovery and Resiliency Division. He is a native of New Jersey and a Hurricane Sandy survivor who embarked on his emergency management journey in 2011. As a consultant, he has contributed to response and recovery efforts across the country, working with organizations such as the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the City of Virginia Beach, the Port of Galveston, the City and County of Napa, and Boulder County.

Following the 2013 floods, Ryan was hired by Boulder County to manage disaster recovery grant programs. Since then, he has played a pivotal role in response and recovery operations, serving as a section lead in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and as the program lead for FEMA Public Assistance, overseeing $150 million in federal awards.

Ryan is a dedicated public servant whose contributions to the community don’t end with his “day job.” He has been with Team Rubicon, a nonprofit volunteer organization since 2017, where he has helped plan and execute numerous response, recovery, and mitigation projects throughout the state. He also proudly serves as a Reserve Deputy with Boulder County Sheriff’s Office.