Michele Tanton is the Emergency Preparedness Manager for St. Louis Children’s Hospital. She has worked for BJC HealthCare for 18 years and has 10+ years advanced emergency management training and experience. Michele served as St. Louis Children’s Hospital’s Incident Commander throughout the COVID-19 response. Michele currently serves as a St. Louis Medical Operations Center (SMOC) Duty Officer; co-chair of the Missouri Pediatric Advisory Council; is a member of the Missouri Hospital Association EMSystem Advisory Committee; former Chair of the St. Louis Area Regional Response System (STARRS) hospital preparedness committee; and a BJC Incident Support Team Specialist.

Michele has developed, taught and presented emergency management topics including Hospital Incident Command Systems, de-escalation of violent persons, armed violent intruder, Stop the Bleed™, mass notification and emergency management computer systems, bioterrorism, workplace violence, and evacuating large capacity Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs).

Michele is an active member of the Association of Healthcare Emergency Preparedness Professsionals and the International Association of Healthcare Security and Safety. She is also a member of the Phi Kapp Phi and Omega Nu Lambda National Honor Societies.

Michele earned her master’s degree in Safety, Security, and Emergency Management from Eastern Kentucky University in 2019 where she graduated summa cum laude. Michele also holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Columbia College in Columbia, MO. Michele obtained certification from the International Board for Certification of Safety Managers as a Certified Healthcare Emergency Professional (CHEP) in 2017.