Brandon Hamara and Tom Walton have joined the board of directors of the American Red Cross-Santa Barbara County Chapter, and Pamela Voge has been hired as its new long-term recovery coordinator for the Tea Fire.
Hamara is in his final year at UCSB pursuing a bachelor of arts in public policy. As a high school student, Hamara was active in his school’s Red Cross Club, and he’s currently a member of UCSB’s Red Cross Club. Hamara has volunteered for Habitat for Humanity and the Salvation Army Hospitality House in Santa Barbara.
Walton was raised in Carpinteria and attended local schools. He joined the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department in 1979 and has held several assignments such as custody operations, courts, Isla Vista foot patrol, Santa Maria patrol, gang enforcement, SWAT and technology.
Walton supervises the sheriff’s department’s Research and Planning Bureau and is the emergency (disaster) planning coordinator for the department. He is frequently assigned to coordinate the Operations Section of the County’s Emergency Operations Center during local emergencies.
As the new long-term recovery coordinator, Voge will support the Emergency Services Department by conducting case management for Red Cross clients affected by the Tea Fire. She will identify community resources to assist with Tea Fire clients’ needs.
Voge began her professional career as a flight attendant and volunteer disaster liaison with Trans World Airlines. At the San Luis Obispo Chapter of the American Red Cross, Voge worked as a volunteer on a Disaster Action Team, responding to local disasters. She started working national disasters as a volunteer in 2003 and has responded to about 20 national disasters as a government liaison and community relations liaison.
Voge is also a professional emergency management consultant. As a student, Voge volunteered for the Red Cross during the Vietnam War. During summer months, she went to Fairfield-Suisun City in northern California to the air force base to assist with the incoming wounded.
Marjorie Wass is a publicist.