Tona Zwanziger, LCSW, MS

Tona Zwanziger currently serves as the Assistant Director of MSW Programs. She previously served as the Program Manager for the Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy where she led the efforts on curriculum development, student recruitment, marketing and addressed the day-to-day operations to include student-facing and program matters.

She earned the Master of Science degree from the Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy at Tulane as well as the Master of Social Work degree with a certification in Disaster Mental Health and Trauma Studies. Tona holds the LCSW credential which allows her to work part time in the New Orleans community as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. In this capacity, she provides psychotherapy to individuals presenting with anxiety, depression, PTSD, adjustment disorder and other diagnosis.

Tona has contributed to research is various ways. She served as a Research Assistant for the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GOMRI) with Rand Corporation following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill; She received the "Tulane 34 Award" for academic honors and service; She also received the "Significant Contribution to Global Research in Disaster Resilience Award" and is published in her field of study (Research Publication: Resilience and Knowledge of PTSD in Military Spouses).

Tona has worked at both the micro and macro level within social work. She has a history of working in and around disasters. She served as Lead Administrator for the New Orleans Recovery Program after Hurricane Katrina where she supervised 13 administrative support staff and managed an office of 112 individuals across 4 business programs. In addition, we thank Tona for her service as she served honorably as a Combat Medic for 10 years in the U.S. Army National Guard where she provided medical support for rescue and recovery missions following hurricanes both state-side and internationally.

Specialized Training

• National Incident Management System, FEMA and the Emergency Management Institute
• Emergency Support Function – ESF #6, FEMA and the Emergency Management Institute
• Emergency Support Function – ESF #8, FEMA and the Emergency Management Institute
• Are You Ready? – Citizen Preparedness, FEMA and the Emergency Management Institute
• National Response Framework, FEMA and the Emergency Management Institute
• Intro to Incident Command System, FEMA and the Emergency Management Institute
• Hurricane Preparedness Training, given by The Institute for Psychosocial Health, Tulane University
• Humanity in the Midst of War, Introduction to International Humanitarian Law, American Red Cross at Tulane University