Happy Women's History Month!

California Women in Homeland Security cordially invites members and friends to join us in celebration of Women's History Month!

Come along for an inspiring day as we pay tribute to the resilience and strength of women!

Event Details:

• Name: Rosie the Riveter Brunch & Tour

• Date: Saturday, March 30

• Destination: Meet in front of Assemble Kitchen - 1414 Harbour Way South, Richmond, CA

• Time: 10:00 am - 1:00 pm

• RSVP Here: https://CA-WHS_Rosie_The_Riveter.eventbrite.com

• Brunch will be followed by a tour of the Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front https://www.nps.gov/rori/index.htm

• Objective: Socialize, network, and deepen connections with fellow women across the Bay Area
  
  Explore and honor the efforts and sacrifices of American women on the WWII home front. The powerful slogan of the era still rings true, "United we can win!"

To learn more about California Women in Homeland Security, visit www.ca-whs.org

Interested in featuring your company at our event and in our promotions? Contact us at vp@ca-whs.org

We look forward to seeing you!

Join us for an engaging online Lunch and Learn event focused on A Brain-Based Perspective to Resilience. Grace, Grit, Surviving, Thriving, or All of the Above with our featured speaker, Ms. Kim Guevara, MA, CEO + Founder, Mozaik Solutions. In today's unpredictable world, it's crucial to equip ourselves with the knowledge and tools to stay mentally and emotionally resilient during challenging times.

Within homeland security, emergency management, and related professions, we have learned – often through the example of the leaders whose footsteps we follow, to be “tough”. To not feel and not be tired, or burnt out, or exhausted – or at least never admit it. Or if you do, make sure you follow it up with a caveat that shows you didn’t really mean it. If you’re a woman? Well, you have even more to “prove”. Record numbers of talented emergency professionals have left the field, and new incoming talent dips their toe in the water only to leave when they see the churn. Somehow we’ve even managed to turn the word “resilient” into a competition and value judgment for ourselves and others. On the flip side, some days we do need to get the job done. We are the ones who seek to prevent the emergency, and keep things running when the crisis happens. So what do we do about it? Is the seemingly elusive “balance” even possible? Join us for an interactive session that leverages the power of neuroscience research, groundbreaking study results on the unique stressors in emergency management, ways to increase energy, and application to the fields of emotional competence and intelligence (EQ), with a dash of GQ (generational intelligence).

The webinar will feature an interactive Q&A session.

Celebrating 5 years of California Women in Homeland Security!

On December 2, 2022, CA-WHS will hold its fifth Annual Awards Ceremony, celebrating the talented women of California who advance the fields of homeland security through their dedication, innovation, and passion.

Date: Friday, December 2, 2022

Time: 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 PM PT

This is a virtual event.

California Women in Homeland Security (CA-WHS) presents: Meet the Board + Networking

California Women in Homeland Security (CA-WHS) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to providing a platform for women in our industry to truly connect. Together, we build stronger relationships, grow our expertise, and contribute to philanthropic causes.

More than just a group of women, We’re a force to be reckoned with. With the support of over 700 women in homeland security, advocates, and allies, we’re driven to build a gender-diverse homeland security workforce by facilitating recruitment, retention, and the advancement of women in this field. Learn about our why here: https://ca-whs.org/our-why

Help us build a strong, gender-diverse workforce in homeland security, emergency management, public safety, and public health.

Join us! We invite you to meet our 2022-2023 Board of Directors. Learn how we joined our respective fields and navigated the terrain.

During this one hour zoom event, you will hear from California Women in Homeland Security Board of Directors and you will be able to ask them all your questions about our professional organization, their journey in homeland security, and their respective committees.

The Naval Postgraduate School’s (NPS) Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) is the nation’s leader in homeland security education. During this one hour zoom event, you will hear from CHDS staff and former and current students about the programs, and you will be able to ask them all your questions about the application process, enrollment, and completing the program.

CHDS has five academic programs:

• Master’s Degree

• Executive Leaders

• Emergence Program

• Executive Education Program

• Radiological Emergency Preparedness (REP) Executive Education ProgramsCalifornia Women in Homeland Security (CA-WHS) presents: "Ask Me Anything" about the Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) Programs at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA.

Ending the harassment, discrimination, and abuse of fire fighters is a collective responsibility.

Join us as we discuss the skewed professional archetype of the role of firefighters and develop ways to hold the the profession accountable in its mission to achieve inclusivity of all races, genders, and sexualities.

The panel will include Battalion Chief Kris Larson, Los Angeles Fire Department, Captain Lauren Andrade, Orange County Fire Authority and moderator Los Angeles Fire Department Commissioner Rebecca Ninburg.

Speaker Bios

Kris Larson, Battalion Chief, Los Angeles Fire Department

Chief Larson is a 31 year veteran of the Los Angeles City Fire Department and currently holds the rank of Battalion Chief. She was the first African American woman promoted to the rank of Captain I, Captain II and Battalion Chief in the Department's history. Chief Larson holds a BA from UCLA in Sociology and a Master's in Public Service Leadership with an emphasis in Emergency Management from Capella University. She current serves as president of Los Angeles Women in the fire service and Vice President on the Board of Camp Blaze. In her current role, she is in charge of recruitment and youth programs for LAFD.

Lauren Andrade, Captain, Orange County Fire Authority

Captain Lauren Andrade is a native San Diegan where she currently resides with her two young sons. Captain Andrade was a division 1 collegiate basketball player at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where she graduated with a BA in English. Her career started in the fire service at Poway Fire Department in San Diego County. In 2008, she was hired by Orange County Fire Authority as a Firefighter/Paramedic. Captain Andrade began her work as an advocate for change after she had given birth to her son Luke. Upon returning to work, she realized that her department was out of compliance and had no lactation accommodations in addition to not having adequate women’s restroom facilities in all stations. The 4 four years Captain Andrade has collaborated with ACLU SoCal to ensure proper restroom facilities and lactation accommodations in all of OCFA’s fire stations. She continues to advocate for fairness in policy, practice and procedure within her department as well as other departments within the region

Rebecca Ninburg, Fire Commissioner, City of Los Angeles

Rebecca Ninburg has been serving as a Fire Commissioner for the city of LA since 2015. In this role, she has worked extensively to improve the recruitment and retention of diverse candidates, specifically women, by leading multiple strategic planning sessions with the women of the LAFD and offering policy recommendations to improve recruitment and address the systemic racism, sexism, discrimination and that have plagued the department. Most recently, Rebecca has helped establish the Women’s Fire Alliance, a cross-agency organization for female firefighters dedicated to improving the recruitment, retention and promotion of females in the fire service in Southern California. Rebecca is a Co-Founder of the Los Angeles Derby Dolls and served as its CEO for 12 years. Prior to that work, Rebecca was a member of the sculptor’s union, local 755, and worked in the motion picture industry for over a decade. She received her bachelor's degree from UCLA in Fine Art.

2021 WHS SoCal Awards Ceremony

On August 20, 2021, WHS SoCal will hold its fourth annual awards ceremony online, celebrating the talented women of Southern California who advance the fields of homeland security, law enforcement, fire services, public health, emergency management, crisis management, cyber security, counter-terrorism, disaster preparedness and response through their dedication, innovation, and passion. 

Date: Friday, August 20, 2021

Time: 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 PM PT

This is a virtual program that is only available live.

Keynote Speaker:

Erica Pan

Erica Pan, MD, MPH, FAAP, the Deputy Director of the Center for Infectious Diseases and State Epidemiologist, was sworn in July 13, 2020. When she started her role at CDPH, she was assigned to co-lead the California public health COVID-19 response.  Soon after, she served as the Acting State Public   Health Officer from August 10, 2020 to January 3, 2021. Prior to joining CDPH, Pan served as the Health Officer since July 2018, and the Director of the Division of Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, and Deputy Health Officer at the Alameda County Public Health Department since 2011.  In March 2020 at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Pan was one of seven bay area health officers who issued the first stay-at-home orders in the state and the nation.   

Dr. Pan served in several positions, at the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) from 2004 - 2011, including Director of the Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Section, Deputy Health Officer, and Director of the Bioterrorism and Infectious Disease Emergencies Unit in the Communicable Disease Control and Prevention Section.

She is also a Clinical Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of California, San Francisco. She maintained her clinical work at San Francisco General Hospital and at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals in San Francisco and Oakland in Infectious Diseasesuntil 2019.

 In 2012, Dr. Pan was chosen to be one of 30 California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) Leadership Fellows, and she completed her fellowship in 2014. As a Fellowship alumni, she continues to leverage opportunities within the CHCF network to collaborate with leaders from multiple healthcare sectors across California. She has also served on several regional, state, and national workgroups and advisory committees regarding pandemic influenza, public health preparedness, Biowatch, pediatric anthrax vaccines and response, and other infectious disease emergencies.

Her previous training includes completion of a Pediatric residency, chief residency, and Pediatric Infectious Disease, and Traineeship in AIDS Prevention Studies Fellowships at the University of California, San Francisco. She also completed a Medical Epidemiologist Trainee year at the SFDPH. She is board certified in both Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Pediatrics. She received her MD and MPH degrees from TuftsUniversity School of Medicine, and completed her undergraduate education at Stanford University.

Please join WHS SoCal at our upcoming blood drive on the USC Campus and help Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Blood Donor Center. 

Donor requirements:

• Must be at least 17 years of age and weigh 120 pounds 

• 18 years and older must weigh 110 pounds or more 

• Must provide valid photo ID (drivers license) 

• Should be well-hydrated 

Each donation can help two children in need! Save a life. Donate blood. 

Sign up online at: chladonateblood.org and use the sponsor code: WOMENINHS or contact the Director of Philanthropy, Jennifer at Jennifermaradiagacontreras@gmail.com. 

Join us on Friday February 26th for WHS SoCal Women Who Lead: In Conversation with Cathy Lanier, Senior Vice President and Chief Security Officer for NFL and the Former Chief of Police for Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia as she shares her playbook for overcoming obstacles and building a successful career in both public and private sector. This exciting event conversation will be moderated by Dr. Rita Burke, WHS SoCal President.

For this unique event, WHS SoCal is offering a lunch option so we can enjoy sharing a meal together, although virtually. After you register for the event, be sure to sign up for a catered lunch to arrive at your home the day before the event from our friends at Nybll: http://www.nybll.com/whs. The cost is $30 and it is not required to attend the event, but it promises to be delicious! 

Cathy Lanier

Over her 26 years in law enforcement and counter-terrorism, Cathy Lanier has come to be known for her game-changing leadership. Prior to serving in her current role as Senior Vice President and Chief of Security at the National Football League, Lanier held the position of Chief of Police with the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) from 2007 to 2016. Lanier rose through the ranks of the MPD to earn various commendable honors including becoming the first female police chief of the nation’s capital, the first commanding officer of Homeland Security and Counter-Terrorism for D.C. Police, one of a small number of female chiefs in the nation at the time, and the longest serving chief on the D.C. force.

A highly respected professional in the areas of homeland security and community policing, she took the lead role in developing and implementing coordinated counterterrorism strategies for all units within the MPD and launched the department’s Operation TIPP (Terrorist Incident Prevention Program). She is also credited for transforming the city once known as the "murder capital of the nation." Lanier’s street-smart tactics focus on community empowerment, and dedication to improving technology and intelligence resulted in a 53 percent reduction in homicides from 2008-2012. While leading the MPD, Lanier also demonstrated expertise in securing and managing large events as she oversaw five Presidential inaugurations and several special events including two state funerals and two Papal visits. In 2013, she led the response effort to the Washington Navy Yard mass shooting.

Now, as the Chief of Security for the National Football League, Lanier safeguards the security of all 32 NFL teams and their venues, liaises and collaborates with federal, state and local law enforcement, and ensures security for League events like the Super Bowl. As an innovative force in safety and security, Chief Lanier’s service continues to extend beyond the NFL to the Homeland Security Advisory Council, an independent government advisory body, where she currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Emerging Technologies Sub-Committee. She is Vice-Chair of the Commercial Facilities Sector Coordinating Council and Co-Chair of the Sports League Sub-Sector Coordinating Council.

Rita V. Burke, PhD, MPH

Dr. Burke is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Preventive Medicine at Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California where she teaches classes on disaster management, violence and public health leadership. Previously, she worked at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles where she led all research efforts in pediatric disaster management and injury prevention.

Dr. Burke has over 60 peer-reviewed publications, over 50 abstracts at local, state and national conferences and book chapters. She is the former co-chair of the Research Committee for the Pediatric Trauma Society, the current co-chair for the Los Angeles Children in Disaster Working Group and co-chair of the Disaster and Emergency Response sub-committee of the American Public Health Association. She is a member of the American Public health Association, Society for Epidemiologic Research, the American College of Epidemiology, and the Education Sub-council for the American Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council.  She is the Associate Editor for the peer-reviewed journal Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness and co-author of Landesman’s Public Health Management of Disasters. She is the Principal Investigator to examine the gaps in preparedness for families with children with access and functional needs as well as another grant that examines the role of faith-based organizations in disaster preparedness. 

Dr. Burke received her MPH and PhD in epidemiology from the University of California, Los Angeles where she also received several competitive grants and fellowships while earning her doctorate.