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VEMA Members, I am so excited to kick off this year as President! It is an honor to serve our many professionals across the Commonwealth and represent our field during such a dynamic time. With the leadership from the VEMA Board, our many committee chairs, and our dedicated volunteers, we will continue building on the strong foundation Immediate Past President Jess Robison has established with collaboration, connection, and continuity as our guiding values. Over the next year, our goals as an Association are to:
During the last year, the Commonwealth’s Emergency Managers showed tremendous strength during many challenging incidents, from Hurricane Helene to the Richmond Water Crisis, supporting the DCA Airplane Crash, and so many more. Our goal in the year ahead is to spotlight the amazing Emergency Managers who are working behind the scenes to build strong emergency preparedness programs, make connections with partners across multiple disciplines, and respond / recover from incidents. Highlighting our “why” – you and the disaster survivors we serve – brings the humanity of our field to the forefront and reminds us of the importance of the work we do. Thank you for your continued dedication, time, and commitment to making VEMA a transformative collective of professionals with a passion to lead and serve our communities. I look forward to seeing all that we will accomplish together in the year ahead! Danielle Holmstrom |