Leadership

EHS Supervisor- Emergency Response at CBRE onsite at Google.  I have my Master’s Degree in Emergency Management.

Virginia “Ginny” Ortiz, MPH, is the Disaster Program Manager for the American Red Cross Silicon Valley Chapter in San Jose, CA. She came to the Bay Area from Washington, DC where she worked in federal government. Prior to her civil service, she served in the Peace Corps as a community health volunteer and volunteer leader. A brief volunteer experience with the Red Cross in 2017 inspired her to combine her passions for public health and community service with disaster preparedness and response.

Ginny has a Masters in Public Health and a certificate in Environmental & Occupational Health from the Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County

Araceli joined the organization in 2018 to lead a team that could assist people who were impacted by the Coyote Creek Flood. She quickly built an efficient and effective multilingual, multicultural team that included Vietnamese- and Spanish-speaking staff to serve those who lived in the most severely impacted neighborhoods.

As an active member of CADRE’s leadership team, she served as its liaison to the county Office of Emergency Services during the shooting incident at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in July 2019 and during the county’s pandemic state-of-emergency declaration in March 2020. She organized CCSCC’s expansion of food distribution at parishes across the Diocese of San Jose, in coordination with the Advocacy and Community Engagement team and CORAL after-school program staff.  She created a highly efficient drive-through food delivery system that was focused on the health and safety of volunteers, staff, and customers.

Trained in CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) and LISTOS (Spanish-speaking disaster preparedness) processes, Araceli is now a CERT trainer who also leads neighborhood sessions in disaster preparedness. Araceli is a San Jose native and is bilingual in English and Spanish.

Silicon Valley Independent Living Center

Sheri is the Executive Director of SVILC and a founding CADRE team member dating back to the 1990s with the network. Being part of CADRE, she acts as the Coordinating Agency for the Access and Functional Needs team created in 2017 and promotes ongoing efforts to ensure that the needs of the disability community are addressed when planning for and responding to disasters. SVILC is a non-profit organization which serves people with disabilities in Santa Clara County. SVILC’s hopes to create fully inclusive communities that value the dignity, equality, freedom and worth of every human being.

Rong Yang brings over a decade of expertise in risk management, compliance, and regulation domains across consulting firms, mutual funds, and tech companies to our Board. Her commitment to disaster preparedness is deeply rooted in a personal experience that profoundly impacted her life – the 2011 Japan earthquake. The life-altering event illuminates the significance of community resilience, especially for immigrant families who often face additional challenges during times of crisis.

Disability Integration Regional Lead

Disaster Health Services Manager

ESGR – Area 2 Chairperson

Professor Emeritus – San Jose State University

American Red Cross

Liz Dietz, EdD, RN, CS-NP, CSN, was a founding member of CADRE during the Loma Prieta Earthquake in Oct 19, 1989.  Liz is a 40-year volunteer with Silicon Valley Red Cross serving on the Board of directors, Disaster Health Services Manager, Disability Integration Regional Lead, and Service to Armed Forces Regional Advisor.  Liz is a Professor Emeritus from San Jose State University in the School of Nursing having taught there for 29 years.  Liz and her husband Larry who is also a Public Affairs Red Cross Manager live in The Villages.

Vice President of Programs | Health Equity | Population Health Second Harvest Silicon Valley.

Marsha Hovey, C.E.M. has over forty years of emergency management experience in Santa Clara County as a 9-1-1 dispatcher, Emergency Services Coordinator for Santa Clara County OES, City of Cupertino Emergency Manager and West Valley-Mission Community College District. She retired in 2010 so she could become more involved with other organizations, like CADRE, and continue to make a difference. She is the 2017 Santa Clara County Emergency Manager’s Association Emergency Manager of the Year.

William Hassall is an accomplished international affairs professional with two decades of experience spanning diverse sectors, including disaster response, humanitarian relief, and international development. As Deputy Director at Collaborating Agencies’ Disaster Relief Effort (CADRE), William is dedicated to facilitating coordinated disaster response efforts, supporting community resilience, and fostering equity and inclusion in disaster recovery.

With a Master’s degree in Human Rights and International Politics from the University of Glasgow, complemented by certifications in Program and Project Management, William brings a robust academic background to his role. Prior to his current position, he held pivotal roles at CARE, where he made significant contributions to humanitarian response efforts globally. As Senior Manager of Humanitarian Grants and Manager for USG Compliance, William led the transformation of award monitoring systems and provided invaluable support for diverse portfolios, including USAID, BHA, and PRM. His expertise in managing fast-moving and internationally dispersed teams was highlighted through his key role in managing a substantial portfolio of humanitarian grants, ensuring meticulous programmatic, grant, and financial oversight.

William’s enthusiasm, passion, and extensive experience make him a valuable asset in responding to natural disasters and complex humanitarian emergencies. His commitment to making a difference and his proven track record of success position him as a key leader in CADRE’s mission to support communities in need. When he is not engaged in humanitarian work, William enjoys exploring new cultures through travel, playing soccer, and spending time with his wife Marley and their dog Gilly.

Cindy Stewart is an experienced emergency management professional with a background in corporate training, grant management, and public service. Her expertise spans nonprofit and volunteer training, school emergency preparedness, and animal disaster response.

She has developed emergency plans for the Cities of Sunnyvale and Cupertino and now serves as Operations Manager for Collaborating Agencies’ Disaster Relief Efforts (CADRE), the Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) for Santa Clara County. In this role, she leads trainings, workshops, and project management efforts that strengthen community resilience.

Cindy holds training and experience equivalent to a Bachelor of Science in Emergency Management.

Immigrantinfo.org

CADRE Founding Member, Franci Collins has been a Disaster Volunteer with the American Red Cross for over 30 years and was a founding member of CADRE after the Loma Prieta Earthquake As a Community Partner Services Liaison, she collaborates with service providers to identify vulnerable populations and address special needs. She is the creator and administrator of www.ImmigrantInfo.org, which provides information and links to resources for immigrants. She is also a writer, professional Hypnotherapist, and consultant for non-profit organizations.

Luna Mohammad has over a decade of professional experience in the fields of emergency planning and response, project management, community coordination, teaching, research, and writing. Luna received her Master’s Degree in the Sociology of Disasters, examining cumulative disaster exposure in women and children in southeast Louisiana. She served as the Community Resilience Coordinator for Monterey County for 4 years, where she developed a community resilience plan and managed its 61 initiatives, serving as the lead for 21 of these initiatives.  Luna has also assisted in writing county emergency plans, developing community outreach material in English and Spanish, strengthening operational area disaster readiness, supporting grant applications, facilitating exercises and training, and working in the public information section of the Operational Area Emergency Operations Center during several activations.

Email her at: [email protected]

Savannah Gwynn serves as CADRE’s Communications Director, bringing both depth and versatility to the role. She holds master’s degrees in Communications, Education, and History, and has been a valued member of CADRE since 2020.

During her tenure, Savannah has contributed across multiple areas of the organization, including bookkeeping, payroll, project management, and communications. This broad experience gives her a comprehensive understanding of CADRE’s operations and mission. In her current role, she leads communications strategy and outreach, ensuring CADRE’s message is clear, effective, and community-focused.