Valerie Brown serves as United Policyholders’ Deputy Executive Director. She is a resident of Rancho Bernardo, a suburb of the City of San Diego, which lost over 180 residences during the October 2007 Witch Creek Wildfire. She has an extensive background in crisis counseling, case management, and community coordination. When friends and neighbors lost their homes, Valerie volunteered to coordinate her community’s response, later working with the countywide Regional Recovery Group to support multiple impacted communities. Since the Witch Creek Wildfire, she has been an active contributor to subsequent disasters in San Diego County through the efforts of San Diego VOAD and the Community Recovery Team. With over a decade of disaster recovery experience, Valerie currently serves on the board of the Disaster Leadership Team, San Diego County VOAD, the National Aging In Place Council, and supports UP’s Roadmap to Recovery^(R) Program.