Hays County EMC Earns Phill Parmer Volunteer Award

In December, Capital Area Council of Governments (CAPCOG) honored Hays County Emergency Management Coordinator and Director Kharley Smith with its Phill Parmer Volunteer Award for supporting the region through CAPCOG’s advisory committees, responding to regional disasters, and educating others on training and response best practices.

“Smith is much deserved of the volunteer award due to her exemplary work with school safety and working within many committees at CAPCOG,” said Martin Ritchey, CAPCOG Homeland Security director. “She has a depth of knowledge and experience that is a great value to all her colleagues and peers.”

Smith has served numerous years on CAPCOG’s Homeland Security Task Force and Criminal Justice Advisory Committee, both which prioritize grant funding and coordinate regional planning efforts.

Smith has been instrumental in promoting Warn Central Texas — CAPCOG’s regional notification system — and helped conduct CAPCOG’s School Safety Symposium by sharing information about Hays County’s School Safety Protocol. During 2018, she also assisted with the response to the Hill County Floods in Burnet and Llano counties.

The Phill Parmer Volunteer Award is named after CAPCOG’s longest serving Aging Advisory Council member from Llano County who volunteered as an ombudsman and advocated for senior issues in the legislature.