Pitkin County, Colorado - February 24, 2022 - Pitkin County Emergency Manager Valerie MacDonald has received the Emergency Manager of the Year award for 2021, in the Northwest Region of Colorado. This prestigious award was presented to MacDonald on Wednesday, February 23, 2022, by the Colorado Emergency Management Association (CEMA) at their annual conference in Loveland. The distinction recognizes exceptional service and achievement in emergency management across the 9 regions in Colorado. The award acknowledges the work MacDonald has done over the past 10 years enhancing region-wide emergency preparedness.
The key to success, MacDonald stresses, is the effective working relationships and support she has with the Pitkin County Board of County Commissioners and the various highly-trained and professional public safety agencies in the valley. “In disaster preparation, perhaps, more than any other undertaking, it's truly a team effort. We have worked hard for many years to develop our multi-jurisdictional Pitkin County Incident Management Team and our fifteen Emergency Support Function teams that staff the County Emergency Operations Center during a disaster emergency,” MacDonald emphasized.
She observed, “While we can't always stop the disaster from coming our way, we work hard to mitigate our risk and the potential consequences. Our goal is to have a disaster-resilient community for the citizens of Pitkin County. The work is challenging and extremely rewarding. I’m proud of what we’ve done together, and looking forward to the future.”
“Valerie has been an outstanding, dedicated, and collaborative Emergency Manager for Pitkin County. Valerie continues to serve the citizens of Pitkin County and, through her connections locally, regionally, and statewide has prepared us well for disaster response and recovery. I’m extremely proud to have Valerie on my team and look forward to many more years of working together,” said Sheriff Joe DiSalvo.
MacDonald is a member of the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office Command Staff and regularly advises the Sheriff on matters of public safety and preparedness in Pitkin County. Our community is the beneficiary of Valerie’s dedication and commitment to public safety and preparedness in the community.