Women Leaders in Emergency Response
Nevil Honored by League of Women Voters By Joyce Godwin
The League of Women Voters for Collin County held its Women’s History Luncheon in March at Gleneagles Country Club in Plano during which Women Leaders in Emergency Response were honored. One of those six honorees was Prosper’s very own Marty Nevil, a Prosper firefighter and medic. The five other honorees were Christa Weisinger, Allen Police and Student Resource Officer; Ursula Watson, McKinney Detective; Susan Carr, Plano Director of Public Safety Communications; Leslie Girdner, Frisco Community Education Coordinator, and Katy Willoughby, Wylie Fire Department Captain. In 2015, when the LWV honored Collin County women in Public Administration, Prosper’s Town Secretary Robyn Battle was included.
As the luncheon part of the program began to wind up, each woman was asked to talk about herself, her training and challenges. Nevil talked about the town of Prosper and how the fire department interacts within the community. “Building a trust within the community is important so residents feel comfortable calling in that time of need,” she said. Nevil started her career as a first responder in the police department. She is thankful for her training at Highland Park where she says she was ‘triple trained’ meaning trained as police, paramedic and firefighter. She came on staff with the town of Prosper as a police officer and transferred four years ago to the fire department. She is thankful to be well rounded as a first responder with a good understanding of where she fits in.
In the event program, each woman is featured with a photo and a short biography. Nevil's bio follows: “Marty Nevil, Town of Prosper. Born in Dallas and reared in Leonard, Texas, she has a B.A. from Southern Methodist University and is currently completing a Masters Certificate in Public Communications from Texas Christian University. She has worked for the Dallas Police Department and Highland Park Department of Public Safety. She is a certified Firefighter, Police Officer, and Paramedic, and has also owned and operated a café/coffee shop. She has been employed as a Firefighter with the Town of Prosper for four years. Her interests are running, spending time with family, going to church and volunteering.”
It’s important to Nevil that younger women understand there is opportunity for other women as first responders. “I have been successful because of great encouragement from men and women in my life who have mentored me and encouraged me to go forward even though it is an unconventional role for a female,” she said. She named a few of her biggest encouragers: her husband Broox who is also a firefighter, Prosper’s Fire Chief Tucker, Highland Park’s Chief Vinson and her dad who is no longer with her. “I work with a lot of great men, and being the only female, I get to complement what they do at a really high level,” Nevil said. “I just add to what they already do a great job at. They are my brothers.”
32
WeAreProsper.com | April 2017