Crisis Communications – Oct 14

Kelly Hubbard is the Director of the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management (OEM). Ms. Hubbard is responsible for OEM, a division of County Fire, responsible for emergency management and coordination of the Santa Barbara Operational Area.   She works with government agencies of all disciplines to increase multi-agency, all-sector preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery coordination. Kelly has responded to local, state and federally declared disasters across California including tsunamis, earthquakes, fires, winter storms, and dozens more undeclared events. She has served in many emergency operation center roles, including governmental liaison, public information officer, and EOC deputy director. Kelly is a national speaker on mass casualty response and planning for both government and the entertainment/arts industry. She currently serves on the USGS National Landslide Hazards Reduction Program Advisory Committee on Landslides and the National Coalition for Arts Preparedness Committee. Ms. Hubbard has a Master of Science in Emergency Services Administration from California State University, Long Beach and is a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) through the International Association of Emergency Management (IAEM).

Camie Barnwell is an award-winning journalist and bilingual communications professional with bachelor’s degrees in journalism and Spanish and a master’s degree and credential in educational counseling. Since 2022, she has served as Communications Director and Public Information Officer for the Santa Barbara County Education Office, supporting 200 programs, 129 schools, and 70,000 students countywide. During the height of the pandemic, she led communications for Santa Barbara Unified, following a career covering education, government, disasters, and community life for the Santa Barbara News-Press. She developed a bilingual crisis communications toolkit and training series for school emergencies that recently earned top statewide honors.

Liliana Encinas serves as the Bilingual (English/Spanish) Public Outreach Coordinator and Public Information Officer for the Santa Barbara City Fire Department. Liliana is accredited as a State-certified Spanish/English interpreter and translator and brings expertise as a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Master Trainer in both English and Spanish, an Emergency Management Outreach Instructor for the California Specialized Training Institute and a Program Advisor to the Fire Service Training Institute.

With a career spanning over twenty years, Ms. Encinas’ professional journey includes pivotal leadership roles such as Director of the Family Resource Center at La Casa de La Raza Cesar E. Chavez Center, as well as the Aware & Prepare Latino Initiatives and Outreach Coordinator for the County of Santa Barbara Office of Emergency Management and the National Director of the LISTOS program for over fifteen years.  

Mrs. Encinas prioritizes enhancing emergency public education and disseminating vital information, fostering strong connections with the Latino community. Her immigration from Mexico to the United States enriches her dedication to serving diverse populations through outreach, social welfare, programmatic advancements, and holistic well-being promotion. Her strategic planning involvement underscores commitment to tailored services for the Latino constituency, ensuring inclusive and effective community support.

Mrs. Encinas is a devoted mother of four, who cherishes her time spent with her family and actively engages in volunteerism across various community-based organizations and educational institutions.