[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 88 (Wednesday, May 24, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E488]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING MARK GHILARDUCCI

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 24, 2023

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today along with the 
members of the California delegation, to honor Mark Ghilarducci, the 
director of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal 
OES), for his 40 years of public safety service.
  Born in San Mateo, California, Mr. Ghilarducci received his Bachelor 
of Science in Physiology from University of California, Davis. 
Afterwards, he joined Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of 
Government as a part of their fellowship program for Senior Executives 
in State and Local Government.
  Mr. Ghilarducci started his career at the federal level working on 
homeland security, emergency preparedness, and disaster response. Mr. 
Ghilarducci was an executive member of the Advisory Board for the 
National Urban Search and Rescue Response System from 1990 to 2003. 
Here he led federal search and rescue operations after the 1995 bombing 
in Oklahoma City. From 1997 to 2000, he also served as federal 
coordinating officer with the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency 
(FEMA). Additionally, Mr. Ghilarducci was a critical advisor to the 
state of Louisiana and Governor Kathleen Blanco after Hurricane 
Katrina.
  In California, Mr. Ghilarducci has occupied several integral public 
safety positions. He served as deputy state fire chief of special 
operations for California's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), 
where he led the development and creation of the state's 
internationally recognized fire and rescue mutual aid system. In 2014, 
he was appointed director of Cal OES by Governor Jerry Brown, and again 
by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2019. Over the course of his tenure as 
director, he guided California through 130 federally declared disasters 
such as an enduring drought, five of California's largest wildfires, 
including the tragic Camp fire, and the COVID pandemic. He also serves 
in Governor Newsom's cabinet as his homeland security adviser, using 
his experience to advise on matters of terrorism and cybersecurity.
  Mr. Ghilarducci has also been a member of numerous state bodies that 
have shaped California's emergency preparedness, response, and recovery 
approaches. From 2001 to 2003, he co-chaired both the Governor's 
Strategic Committee on Terrorism and the California Standardized 
Emergency Management System Technical Committee. Governor Newsom also 
appointed Mr. Ghilarducci as chair of the California Earthquake 
Authority Board of Directors and the California Wildfire Catastrophic 
Response Council, as well as the executive board member of the 
Governor's Homeland Security Advisory Council.
  Some of Mr. Ghilarducci's most notable policy achievements include 
the modernization of California's 911 system, his facilitation of the 
State Threat Intelligence and Assessment System, the design and 
implementation of the nation's first Earthquake Early Warning System, 
and the design and operation of the California Cybersecuritv 
Integration Center. Furthermore, he was a vocal advocate for the 
California Disaster Assistance Act which authorized over $300 million 
in funding towards building a more resilient and safer California.
  Mr. Ghilarducci is known for his motto ``one team, one fight'' as 
well as his honesty, integrity, and respectful nature. He spends his 
spare time with his wife Linda Ghilarducci and two children, RJ 
Ghilarducci and Alexandra Ghilarducci.
  Mr. Speaker, Mark Ghilarducci has undoubtedly made our Nation and the 
state of California a safer place for our constituents.

                          ____________________