Press Release: Valerie Brown Joins SBP as a Fellow, Bringing Decades of Expertise in Nonprofit and Disaster Recovery
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Valerie Brown Joins SBP as a Fellow, Bringing Decades of Expertise in Nonprofit and Disaster Recovery
1.16.2024 – SBP and After The Fire are thrilled to announce the addition of Valerie Brown to our teams. Valerie brings over 30 years of nonprofit and grants experience, ranging from small nonprofits to a $26M organization with a portfolio of 45 programs funded by 60 government contracts and over 100 private, corporate, family, and faith-centered foundation grants. With nearly two decades of wildfire resiliency and recovery experience, Valerie is a highly respected leader in disaster recovery. She has expertise in federal and state programs and funding streams, charitable and faith-based resources, insurance, mortgage, and construction matters, and a proven ability to facilitate strong cross-functional collaboration.
Most recently, Valerie has served on the board of the Disaster Leadership Team, as Chair of San Diego County VOAD, Vice Chair of Northern California VOAD, and as Deputy Executive Director with United Policyholders. In these roles, she has supported long-term recovery through their Roadmap to Recovery® Program in Colorado, Hawaii, Florida, and California, including a complex multi-state virtual operation due to COVID-19 for the 2020 wildfires in Colorado, California, Oregon, and Washington. Valerie is a graduate of Duke University.
In her new role, Valerie will serve as a Fellow specializing in California in partnership with After The Fire USA, a nonprofit focused on community recovery after megafires. Additionally, she will support SBP’s growing Fellows program as a Subject Matter Expert, contributing to the success of other Fellows across the nation.
About SBP
SBP is a national social impact organization dedicated to helping communities shrink the time between disaster and recovery by rebuilding homes, increasing preparedness and resilience, and improving systems to better serve the needs of all Americans.
SBP’s Resilience and Recovery Fellows Program
SBP’s Resilience and Recovery Fellows Program is designed to meet the funding and capacity needs of small- to medium-sized communities. Our program offers capacity to community leaders and networks not only to secure the recovery assistance they need when disasters strike but also to anticipate and withstand future climate threats. SBP uses philanthropic investment to hire, train, and support locally-based disaster resilience and recovery professionals. These Fellows add capacity to local government agencies and nonprofit partners, fostering engagement with a broad range of stakeholders to spearhead initiatives aimed at securing federal and philanthropic support for mitigation and resilience projects.
For more information about the Fellows Program, you can contact Hannah Trautwein at:
[email protected] or visit their website at sbpusa.org
About After the Fire USA
After the Fire USA is a nonprofit organization formed by megafire survivors to help communities navigate post-disaster recovery. We collaborate with public officials (regional, state, and federal), the private sector, and the nonprofit community, supporting community-led and designed recovery efforts.