Alyssa L. Provencio, Ph.D., (you can call her Dr. P) is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science and faculty in the Master of Public Administration program at the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO). Provencio's teaching and research interests focus on emergency and disaster management, particularly on representation in administrative agencies and service access for historically underserved communities. Her work explores feminist scholarship, intersectionality, leadership and climate resilience. In higher education, she studies mentorship practices and implements evidence-based strategies for student success while working to create supportive learning environments for all students.

     Additionally, as director of Downtown Strategy and Community Partnerships at LX Studio, Provencio leads strategic initiatives to enhance UCO's downtown presence while fostering partnerships between the university and the Oklahoma City metropolitan community. She focuses on aligning academic programs with workforce needs and spearheads innovative programming that optimizes UCO's downtown facilities.

     Her other service roles include coordinating the disaster management certificate for the MPA program and internships for undergraduate political science students. She previously served as Faculty Senate president from May 2022 to May 2024. She is a board member for the Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice and a trustee for Oklahoma Humanities. 

     Professionally, she has worked for a number of nonprofit organizations, including the Clinton Foundation and attributes her passion for emergency management to the time she spent in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.

     Provencio's hometown is Derby, Kansas, and she graduated from Oklahoma State University, the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service and Kansas State University.

     In her free time, Provencio enjoys home renovation, swimming, spinning/cycling, running, scuba diving, baking and exploring the outdoors. She has been known to run the occasional 5k/10k/half-marathon and participate in local sprint triathlons. She lives in rural Oklahoma with her partner, Tom, their cats, Lou and Hazel, and dogs, Biggs and Sandy.