Over the past several years, the state has experienced an unprecedented number of emergencies and disasters. As these climate-driven natural disasters become more severe in California, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) staff has met each new challenge head-on.
The nearly 2,000 staff at Cal OES have responded to increasingly complex disasters in fresh and innovative ways, strengthening the foundation of emergency management to prepare for, respond to and recover from all types of emergencies and disasters.
This week, Cal OES welcomes you to learn more about Elise Arata, with the Response Directorate, Southern Region currently assigned primarily in San Luis Obispo County and works with Santa Barbara and Ventura County Emergency Services Coordinators. She fosters productivity and collaboration with public, local, state, federal, tribal and private partners in supporting response efforts within the region in addition to providing guidance and mentorship to new employees.
“I am very proud of the work that I do here at Cal OES and supporting our counties and responding to recovery from our disasters,” Arata said.
She is passionate about supporting California’s operational area success and resiliency in responding to and recovering from disasters. She filled many roles on several deployments with both Response and Recovery covering fires, floods, pandemic, mass fatality, and public safety power shutoffs as an Agency Representative, Branch Director, Incident Commander, and Technical Advisor.
Elise has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from CSU Sacramento with a focus in Forensic Anthropology and brings seventeen years of public service experience, her most recent six with Cal OES.
If you know someone who embodies the best of Cal OES, send a message to pios@caloes.ca.gov