Edward M. Emmett is a professor in the practice at Rice University with a focus on public policy. In addition, he is a senior fellow at Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research and a fellow at Rice University’s Doerr Institute for New Leaders. From 2007 until 2019, Emmett served as county judge of Harris County, Texas. In this position, Emmett was also the director of homeland security and emergency management, a role which established him as a national leader in emergency response and community resilience.