Within six years of joining the County of San Diego workforce, Holly Crawford became director of the Office of Emergency Services, which means she is responsible for coordinating the overall county response to disasters.
Crawford, 37, was recently selected by SD Metro magazine as a recipient of a 40 Under 40 Award, which represents some of the best and brightest minds of San Diego County.
“It was an honor to be recognized,” said Crawford. “During my six years with the County I have had some incredible mentors and I feel very lucky to work for an organization that grooms leaders and promotes from within.”
As the director for the Office of Emergency Services (OES), Crawford’s office alerts and notifies appropriate agencies in a natural or manmade disaster, coordinates all responding agencies, ensures resources are available and mobilized to respond in a disaster, develops plans and procedures for response and recovery, and helps educate the public about emergency preparedness.
In December, the department redesigned, improved and relaunched the county’s emergency web site that allows the public to get critical information on computers, mobile phones and tablets (sdcountyemergency.com). This week, OES introduced a new app, SD Emergency that can be downloaded for free to iPhone, iPad or Android phones or tablet. The app is designed to keep residents and their families informed and safe throughout events such as wildfires or earthquakes, or potential threats, such terrorist events.
“I work towards a mission I believe in – alongside people who are committed and full of integrity. You can’t ask for more than that!” she said.
One of Crawford’s priorities in her work is to improve the lives of people in the communities she serves, with a focus on the most vulnerable individuals including those with physical and cognitive disabilities. Under Crawford’s leadership, OES launched Accessible AlertSanDiego, an emergency alert and information service that will assist residents who are deaf, blind, or hard of hearing. The service sends alerts to computers, phones, or wireless Braille readers in accessible formats, such as text message, American Sign Language, voice message or Braille.
Crawford oversees a budget of $10.4 million to carry out these functions, including millions of dollars in federal Homeland Security Grants, which are used to improve the region’s safety.
Since joining the County, Crawford has refined her crisis communications skills, first as a public information officer for OES during the 2007 wildfires, then as the manager of media and public affairs for the County’s Health and Human Services Agency during the novel H1N1 epidemic. Before becoming the OES director, Crawford worked as the assistant director of the County Communications Office where she helped form and reorganize the new department for internal and external communications.
Crawford noted some of her most memorable moments since coming to work for the county occurred in 2007 while working at OES.
“During the fires, in the Emergency Operations Center, we were inundated with calls from the media. I think it really sunk in just how big the disaster had become when I got a call from Al Jazeera, the Arabic-language news network, who was seeking information about the disaster. From the BBC to broadcasters in Australia, everyone was calling us for information,” Crawford said. “After the 2007 fires, the dark and haunting images of so many burned out homes is something I will never forget.”
Crawford’s professional accomplishments before she joined the county included management and community relations positions at the Community Food Bank and the California Health Collaborative in Fresno. At the Community Food Bank, Holly was heavily involved in advocacy on food security issues, with numerous visits to Washington and Sacramento in support of legislative reform. Crawford is a graduate of the University of Florida.
