Rob Marlowe has built a career at the intersection of preparation, protection and community engagement. As an emergency coordinator for the 草莓视频 Department of Emergency Management, he spends his days teaching, planning and helping the campus community navigate the realities of modern-day threats.
This role is shaped by his experiences as a student in the (COPH), where a blend of applied learning, international fieldwork and unexpected inspiration set him on a path he didn鈥檛 initially see coming.
Originally from Syracuse, N.Y., Marlowe grew up with an instinct for awareness. He said that it was his father, a police officer, who instilled in him the habit of knowing the exits in every restaurant and tuning into the environment around him. His early interests leaned toward sports and he played hockey throughout his childhood. Then he attended college just minutes from the Canadian border, and even moved to Sydney, Australia, after graduation to work in sports medicine with a professional rugby team.
When he eventually returned to Syracuse in his early twenties, he found himself back at home and unsure of his next step. Graduate school wasn鈥檛 part of the plan at first, but he knew he needed a change. Florida鈥檚 climate reminded him of Australia and USF鈥檚 strong exercise science program caught his attention. He enrolled in prerequisite courses, expecting to continue in sports medicine, but a handful of public health classes shifted everything.
鈥淭hose early public health courses drew me in immediately,鈥� he said. 鈥淣utrition, epidemiology, overall health and well-being all connected.鈥� By the time he met faculty in the COPH, he knew the felt like the better fit.
Once taking classes to earn his MPH, everything clicked. He said graduate school felt easier for him not because it lacked rigor, but because he genuinely enjoyed the work. The rotating-faculty format of his population assessment courses gave him exposure to a variety of teaching styles and specializations. Applied projects took him into the community, where his assignments had real impact instead of ending on a grading rubric. And his concentration in introduced him to emergency and disaster management which was a field he had never seriously considered but quickly grew passionate about.
Marlowe completed the college鈥檚 certificate in and spent several months in Jamaica for his international field experience. There, he worked in schools and universities to deliver emergency preparedness education across all age groups and abilities. He helped map historical hurricane and earthquake data, collaborated with local institutions to strengthen emergency plans and navigated cultural differences and resource limitations that tested and strengthened his skills.
鈥淚t was incredibly rewarding, but also challenging,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was outside of my comfort zone in every way with the culture, routine and food. But I learned so much about people, about vulnerability and about the value of preparedness.鈥�
That experience solidified his interest in emergency management. When he returned to Tampa and graduated with his MPH in 2018, he was ready to apply what he had learned.
His path into his current role began where many student opportunities do: in the classroom. Relationships with instructors like in the disaster management program helped him understand the field and make connections. Experiences in applied coursework gave him something tangible to talk about in interviews. A pivotal moment in one of his population assessment classes unexpectedly prepared him for a central part of his job today which is public speaking.
Assigned to deliver a 20-minute group presentation, Marlowe said he was anxious because public speaking was something he had always dreaded. But after he and his group created a dynamic and engaging presentation, the faculty member leading the session stopped them at the end and said, 鈥淭hat was the best presentation I鈥檝e ever seen in this class.鈥� For Marlowe, it changed everything.
鈥淭hat one comment flipped a switch,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 realized I was actually good at this. And I could choose to think about presentations as something I get to do, instead of something I had to do.鈥� With practice, the nerves faded and his confidence grew. Today, training, outreach and presentations are the part of his job he loves most.
Now, Marlowe leads active threat training in partnership with the USF Police Department. He builds emergency plans, conducts drills and tabletop exercises, partners with organizations across campus and helps ensure the university is prepared for everything from hurricanes to human-caused emergencies. His team of four oversees readiness for a community of tens of thousands.
Marlowe (top right) during a Stop the Bleed Training with middle and high school aged students through USF鈥檚 Office of Youth Experiences. (Photo courtesy of Marlowe)
鈥淲riting plans is important, but talking to people and educating them, helping them feel prepared and that鈥檚 the fun part,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 where you feel the impact.鈥�
He still laughs thinking about how introverted he was before graduate school. Today, he stands in front of rooms full of people teaching them how to stay safe. He uses humor where he can, helps reduce fear around heavy topics and reminds the community that preparation is empowering, not alarming.
Even now, Marlowe continues his education. As a USF employee, he has returned to his initial academic interest of exercise science by pursuing a second master鈥檚 degree tuition-free and said he looks forward to finding the intersection between public health and exercise science.
Looking back, Marlowe credits the COPH for giving him direction at a time when he needed it most and for opening doors to a career he loves.
鈥淓verything aligned once I got here,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he faculty, the coursework, the experiences 鈥� they set me up for the job I have now. It all connected in a way I couldn鈥檛 have predicted.鈥�