David Farris

David Farris

David Farris

Director, Safety and Emergency Management, Environmental Health and Safety

organizational behavior; university governance; organizational citizenship behavior; university committees and teams

Dr. David Farris is currently serving as the Executive Director of Safety and Emergency Management at George Mason University.  David joined Mason 2004 and has held positions responsible for laboratory safety, environmental compliance, occupational safety, fire safety, and emergency management programs. Prior to working at Mason, David was employed at Clean Harbors Environmental Services. During David’s tenure at Clean Harbors he served as a lead field chemist, regional manager, technical service specialist, sales representative, and project manager in the areas of business development, environmental compliance, emergency response, environmental remediation, and industrial services.

David graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology, received a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Mason’s School of Business in May 2007, and received a Ph.D. in Education from George Mason University’s College of Education and Human Development in 2016. David is Certified Emergency Manager, a credential awarded by the International Association of Emergency Managers.  David’s academic interests revolve around organizational behavior, university governance, organizational citizenship behavior, university committees, and teams. David is currently writing a book on university committees that is expected to be published in 2019.

Selected Publications

  • Farris, D. (2018). Organisational citizenship behaviour in university administrative committees. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 40(3), 224–238. 
  • Farris, D., & Zobel, J. (2017). Strategies for Mitigating Risk Associated with University-related International Travel. University Risk Management and Insurance Association Journal. (Accepted for publication Fall 2017).   
  • Farris, D. (2017, June 6). Not another committee: Advice for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of committees. Inside Higher Ed (online). 
  • Farris, D., & McCreight, R. (2014). The Professionalization of Emergency Management in Institutions of Higher Education. Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, 11(1), 73-94. 
  • Farris, D. (2014). The Still Divided Academy: How Competing Visions of Power, Politics, and Diversity Complicate the Mission of Higher Education by Stanley Rothman, April Kelly-Woessner, and Matthew Woessner (review). The Review of Higher Education, 37(3), 411-414. 
  • Farris, D., & Tracy, D. (2013, July 5).  School Shooting Preparedness Requires Complex Training. Emergency Management Magazine (online). 
  • Farris, D. (2012). Leveraging Organizational Structure in Safety and Emergency Preparedness Programs, Journal of Chemical Health and Safety, 19(4), 9-14.

Recent Presentations

  • 2017 Virginia Emergency Management Association Professional Development Webinar Series - Building Effective Teams 
  • 2017 5th Annual Best Practices in Higher Education Emergency Management Conference - University Committees: How to get the most from your participants 
  • 2016 Virginia Emergency Management Association and Virginia Department of Emergency Management Fall Forum - How to be a good committee member (General session speaker) 
  • 2016 Asia Pacific Biosafety Association Pre-Conference 8-Hour Workshop - Siem Reap Cambodia – Implementing Exercise Programs for Facilities Working with High Consequence Pathogens 
  • 2016 Virginia Emergency Management Symposium Higher Education Caucus - Managing Campaign and Presidential Visits; and, Antecedents, Moderators, and Expressions of Organizational Citizenship Behavior in University Administrative Committees 
  • 2014 Society of American Military Engineers Mid-Atlantic Conference – Lessons to Improve Infrastructure Assurance and Resilience 
  • 2014 American Biological Safety Association National Conference 8-hour Workshop - Implementing an Exercise Program for Select Agent Facilities 
  • 2014 National Association of Student Professional Administrators - Anticipating the Unknown: Developing a Coordinated Plan to Recover from Campus Tragedies 
  • 2014 2nd Annual Best Practices in Higher Education Emergency Management Conference - Best Practices Collaborations in Emergency Management and Information Technology