Event Description

Disasters and crises impact more and more Californians each year, and our state’s nonprofits and funders often find themselves on the front lines of helping the vulnerable communities most harmed by these events. 

As a nonprofit or philanthropy leader, what should you know about how our state handles disaster response and preparedness, even when it isn’t your “day job”? 

This session will:

  • Demystify they key government agencies and policies that shape disaster management in California
  • Share lessons our sector has learned from overlapping crises in recent years
  • Help nonprofits and funders understand how they can help communities prepare with tools and infrastructure
  • Spotlight policy ideas to strengthen disaster response and resilience for our most vulnerable communities, and the organizations that serve them


The California Policy Forum is a unique partnership between CalNonprofits and Philanthropy California (Northern California Grantmakers, Catalyst of San Diego & Imperial Counties, Southern California Grantmakers) and the League of California Community Foundations. The California Policy Forum not only provides a platform to bring together the voice of nonprofits and philanthropy in our state but amplifies the sector's significance and priorities to policymakers and experts. 

Speakers

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Abby Browning

Chief, Office of Private Sector / NGO Coordination, Office of Emergency Services

Abby Browning is the Chief of the Office of Private Sector/ Non-Governmental Organization Coordination at the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. Abby is responsible for developing and maintaining CalOES’s relationships with businesses, associations, companies, and universities, as well as nonprofit, nongovernmental, and philanthropic organizations. Prior to joining CalOES, Abby was the Special Advisor for International Trade in the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. She was an essential member of the Brown Administration’s international team, working on trade missions to China and Mexico, as well as fostering countless other international business connections for California.
Mike Dayton

Mike Dayton

Chief Consultant, Emergency Management Committee, California State Assembly

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Julia DeNatale

Vice President of Community Impact, Napa Valley Community Foundation

Julia DeNatale is the Vice President of Community Impact for Napa Valley Community Foundation and has been on staff since 2010. In her role, Julia oversees the Community Foundation’s grantmaking, including donor-recommended, discretionary, designated, endowed and scholarship portfolios and community impact grantmaking in the areas of: Invest in Youth; Fight Poverty; and Champion Community.



Julia also leads the Foundation’s community initiatives, which currently include: Housing, and the recently launched NapaSonoma ADU Center, which aims to create more affordable housing inventory by helping homeowners build and rent Accessory Dwelling Units; Disaster Relief, which currently includes relief, response and recovery efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 wildfires and prevention and preparedness efforts; and, One Napa Valley, which incubated civic engagement and immigrant legal services in Napa County nine years ago, and has since provided nearly 9,300 locals with free legal consultations.



Prior to joining Napa Valley Community Foundation, Julia was Director of Development and Community Education at Wolfe Center, a nonprofit behavioral health organization in Napa. Her work in the private sector includes marketing and promotions management at Bay Area radio and television stations. Julia has a bachelor’s degree in communications (with an emphasis in journalism) from the University of San Francisco, and is a graduate of Leadership Napa Valley Class 20. Julia was born and raised in Napa and lives with her husband and three children.
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Genevieve Flores-Haro

Associate Director, Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP), Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE)

Genevieve Flores-Haro is the Associate Director for the Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project(MICOP), a nonprofit serving the indigenous migrant community on California’s Central Coast. In this capacity, she oversees the organization’s policy priorities, special events, communications and is a founding member of the 805 UndocuFund. She also supervises MICOP programs specific to health access & advocacy, families with children ages 0-5, unaccompanied minors, mental health, and domestic violence.

In 2021, she was appointed to the Ventura County Behavioral Health Advisory Board by Supervisor Matt LaVere and represents MICOP on the Ventura County Public Safety Racial Equity Advisory Group. During the current COVID-19 pandemic, her focus has been advocating for farmworker labor rights, mask distributions (for healthcare workers and farmworkers), language access, and safety net programs for undocumented Californians.
In 2022, Genevieve was elected to the Oxnard Union High School District Board of Trustees, representing Area 4, and serves as Vice Chair.

Genevieve received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and her Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. She is the immediate past Board President for Ventura County’s local LGBTQ organization Diversity Collective, Board President of the 805 UndocuFund, and Board Member for the Planned Parenthood Central Coast Action Fund.

In 2018 she was awarded a Women of the Year Award by State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson and Assemblymember Monique Limón for her work during the Thomas Fire. In addition, she was named part of the 40 Under 40 Class of 2021 by the Pacific Coast Business Times. In 2022, she was awarded Woman of the Year by Assemblymember Steve Bennett. In 2023, she received the Carmen Ramirez Achievement Award at Diversity Collective Ventura County’s Diversity Gala.
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Laura Seaman

CEO, League of California Community Foundations

Laura is CEO of the League of California Community Foundations, a statewide coalition of 32 community foundations serving over 95% of California's population. She joined the League in 2020 after serving as Associate Director of the Digital Civil Society Lab at the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society. She is a proud Californian and is grateful for the opportunity to serve The Golden State's network of community foundations.

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