I began my career in the Environmental, Health & Safety field over 22 years ago. Initially in heavy construction and refinery turnarounds, I then went on to become an EH&S Program Manager for Aerospace, Plastic Injection Molding and Steam Turbine Power Generation organizations over the next decade. I am currently the Industrial Safety Officer for the City of San Jose, Environmental Services Department – Regional Wastewater Facility in Northern California.

Concurrently with my EH&S career, I served in the USAF Auxiliary – Civil Air Patrol as a Search & Rescue volunteer from 1982-2009. Deployed on literally hundreds of SAR missions and several Presidential Declared Disasters, I have been decorated numerous times for service including a Commanders Commendation and two Lifesaving awards.

It was this passion for for emergency management that inspired my departure from EH&S and to work for the prestigious Kaiser Permanente Hospital system in 2009 as an Emergency Preparedness Planner where I developed and implemented the Integrated Emergency Management Program currently in use at the Santa Clara, CA facility. While at KP, I led the organization through two Joint Commission Surveys where the IEMP I developed was credited as a best practice by TJC and by the California Hospital Association at their 2010 Disaster Preparedness Conference in Sacramento, CA.

In 2013 I accepted an Emergency Management Program Manager position with Swedish Healthcare in Seattle, WA which brought me to the beautiful Pacific North West, a place my heart still longs to be. Later I worked for the WA Region 8 Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (PHEPR) program where I coordinated the healthcare preparedness activities of a five county region in central Washington State.

I am a FEMA certified Master Exercise Practitioner, HSEEP Train The Trainer, Certified Associate Safety and Health Manager (ASHM) and Certified Environmental and Safety Compliance Officer (CESCO). I also possesses several additional professional certifications in safety and emergency management including a Basic Certificate in Public Health Preparedness from the University of Arizona School of Public Health.