WHS SoCal celebrates the talented women of Southern California who advance our industry, including homeland security, law enforcement, fire services, public health, emergency management, crisis management, cyber security, counter-terrorism, disaster preparedness and response or a similarly related field, through their dedication, innovation, and passion!
Join us for our big, Annual Awards Ceremony as we honor inspiring women making an impact in our field. Congratulations to 2020 Awardees Mona Curry, Pinnacle, Mara Landay, Trailblazer and Lorraine Schneider, Ripple Effect Award Winners!! Register Here!
2020 Keynote Speaker and Honoree - Rebecca Ninburg, LAFD Commissioner
Rebecca Ninburg serves as a Fire Commissioner for the City of Los Angeles. In this role, she has worked extensively to improve the recruitment and retention of diverse candidates into the department as well as expand the LAFD youth programs, including the LAFD Girls Camp. Most recently, Rebecca has helped establish the Women’s Fire Alliance, a cross-agency organization for female firefighters dedicated to improving the recruitment, retention and promotion of females in the fire service in Southern California. Prior to her appointment to the Fire Commission, she served for 2 years on the Commission on the Status of Women serving as both Vice Chair and Chair. Rebecca is a Co-Founder of the Los Angeles Derby Dolls and was CEO for 12 years. Prior to that work, Rebecca was a member of the sculptor’s union, local 755, and worked on motion pictures. She received her bachelor's degree from UCLA in Fine Art.
Pinnacle Award
Mona Curry, Emergency Manager, Los Angeles Police Department
Mona Curry is an Emergency Manager with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD),
Operations Valley Bureau (OVB) who has worked with the City of Los Angeles for over 27 years and who has lead a variety of projects which have positively Impacted many of the diverse communities and lives in Los Angeles. She is an Emergency Management Planner Community Liaison, Incident Command System Instructor, Professional Speaker, Project Manager, Grant Manager, Unified Command and Incident Command Responder, and Emergency Operations Center Responder.
In March 2018 Mona developed and produced the first video resource for people with Disabilities and others with Access and Functional Needs (DAFN) entitled: Use Your Abilities to Survive an Active Shooter. In 2012 Mona led the development of the award‐winning 5 Steps to Neighborhood Preparedness Program, through which neighborhoods receive guidance in developing their own neighborhood emergency plans. This program is still being utilized by communities and jurisdictions around the nation. Mona was formerly appointed as the emergency manager responsible for the San Fernando Valley. The Valley Bureau is the largest of the four bureaus in Los Angeles covering over 2 million residents and half of the City.
Trailblazer Award
Mara Landay, Policy Director, Emergency Management and Interoperability, Mayor's Office of Public Safety, City of Los Angeles
Mara Landay is a local government professional who applies innovative and holistic strategies to make Los Angeles a safer, and more resilient city. Her unique approach is built upon diverse experience in public policy, community engagement, intergroup relations, and leadership training.
Mara currently serves in Mayor Eric Garcetti's Office of Public Safety as the Policy Director for Emergency Management. In this role she works on a variety of public safety issues, including emergency preparedness and response, and interoperability of the City's emergency communication systems. Previously, she served as a Research Fellow where she developed strategies to fight hate, bias and all forms of extremism leading to violence. Mara Landay also worked to advance equality, fight poverty, and improve intergroup relations as a staffer for both the City's Commission on Community and Family Services and Human Relations Commission.
Prior to moving to Los Angeles, she served as Assistant Director for the Leadership Academy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a foreign policy think tank in Washington, DC. In this role, she developed executive leadership programs, including geopolitical seminars and crisis management exercises and training. Mara is trained in dialogue facilitation and has worked extensively with diverse communities. She received her Bachelor's degree from University
Ripple Effect Award
Lorraine Schneider, Global Crisis Manager, The Walt Disney Company
Lorraine Schneider is a Certified Emergency Manager (CEMÒ) who has developed, facilitated and implemented rigorous training and exercise programs serving The Walt Disney Company and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), as well as local jurisdictions and nonprofits. In 2020, she launched the Emergency Management Growth Initiative (EMGI) in an effort to make the emergency management profession more accessible and to strengthen it from within. Ms. Schneider served as an Inaugural Board Member of Women in Homeland Security – Southern California and is the current producer and host of the COVID-19 Heroes podcast. She has received a certificate degree in Homeland Security & Emergency Management from UCLA Extension and a Bachelor of Arts degree in North American Studies, with a focus on U.S. foreign policy and war studies, from the Freie Universität Berlin. In 2014, Ms. Schneider left her European roots behind to move to West LA, where she currently resides with her wife.