Our Leadership
Board of Directors
Chairman & CEO
Board Member
Board Member & Secretary
Board Member
Board Member
Board Member
Board Member
Board Member & Treasurer
Board Member
Board Member
Brent H. Woodworth
Chairman & CEO
Brent is a well-known leader in domestic and international crisis management, collaborative partnership development, systems and program innovation. He has a distinguished history of working with government leaders, military, private sector companies, academics, the faith community and non-profit organizations. Brent has led teams in first-hand response to over 70 man-made and natural disasters in 50 countries including conflict zones, regional crisis events and acts of terrorism.
Brie Loskota
Board Member & Secretary
Brie has spent 25 years working to build knowledge and know-how at the intersection of religion, values, and social change. With a unique expertise that bridges academic research, community understanding, and real-world applications, Brie has led initiatives across a variety of sectors, including higher education, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and philanthropy.
Currently affiliated with the Center for the Study of Religion and Culture at the University of Notre Dame, Brie contributes to a multi-institutional effort focused on mapping and analyzing the diverse landscape of congregational life in Chicago. This work builds on previous leadership roles, including serving as the inaugural executive director of the Martin Marty Center for the Public Understanding of Religion at the University of Chicago and the executive director of the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at the University of Southern California.
Dale S. Zuehls
CPA, JD, PhD, ABV, ACFE
Board Member & Treasurer
Dale S. Zuehls has practiced for over 35 years, has taught at several Southern California Universities, and held various leadership positions within the Big 4 accounting environment. He also led KPMG’s exempt organization tax practice for the Western United States. Dale received his Juris Doctorate from Southwestern University School of Law (Los Angeles, CA); Bachelor of Science, Accounting in California State University (Los Angeles, CA).
Christopher Thompson
Board Member
Christopher Thompson is a civic leader in wildfire resilience, historic preservation, and community service. As Chair of Napa Communities Firewise Foundation, he grew it into a leading wildfire‑prevention organization. He served as Trustee of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation during designation of eight Wright sites, including Taliesin and Taliesin West, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
An electrical engineering consultant, Thompson is also an active firefighter and certified apparatus engineer with Napa County Fire Department, responding to major California wildfires. He lives in Pasadena and has expertise in disaster mitigation, grant development, organizational leadership, and public–private partnerships.
Christopher holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and has studied Business Administration and Management at the University of Washington. He also earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts, summa cum laude, from Cornish College of the Arts and is currently pursuing a degree in Fire Behavior Science.
Lars Gustavsson
Board Member
Lars Gustavsson, a Swedish national, has spent most of his professional life working in the Overseas Development Assistance Industry. Through-out most of his life he has led many “Build-Operate-Transfer” efforts ranging from small company start-ups, to consortia and coalitions, to major organizational functional change efforts, to academia and new degree programmes, to major complex relief efforts, to major infrastructure projects.
Peter Katona
MD, FACP, FIDSA
Board Member
Dr. Peter Katona is a Clinical Professor of Medicine in Infectious Diseases at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He has worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as an EIS (Epidemic Intelligence Service) Officer studying viral diseases and doing epidemic investigation; and at Apria/Corum Healthcare as their Corporate Medical Director.
He is an Adjunct Professor at the Fielding School of Public Health and an Instructor at Louisiana State University. He is active at the National Center for Biomedical Research and Training (NCBRT) and the Academy of Counter-Terrorist Education Expertise in Clinical Infectious Diseases & Internal Medicine, specializing in Epidemiology, Public Health Medical Informatics, Biotechnology Terrorism, Biological Weapons, and Biowarfare.
Arnie Kleiner
PhD
Board Member
Arnold J. Kleiner retired after 46 years in the television industry, capping his career as General Manager of KABC-TV Channel 7 in Los Angeles, a role he held since 1996. Under his leadership, KABC became the top-rated station in the market, earning a reputation for both excellence and remarkable leadership stability in a fast-changing industry. A New York native and U.S. Army veteran (1962–1964), Kleiner began his media career with Westinghouse Broadcasting at KDKA Radio in Pittsburgh, later moving into television with roles in Baltimore, Chicago, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and San Diego. Before joining KABC, he managed KFMB-TV in San Diego, overseeing both its TV and radio divisions. He was named CEO of the Year by the Glendale Chamber of Commerce and remains active in civic life, serving on the boards of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Autism Speaks, and as a member of the NAACP and L.A. Multicultural Leadership Coalition.
Juliet Ann Musso
PhD
Board Member
Juliet Musso is Associate Professor of Public Policy and Management, and the Vice Dean for Academic Programs at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. Vice Dean Musso has expertise in state and local governance, federalism, and urban political economy, with specific research interests in fiscal resilience, state and local institutional reform, and civic engagement in governance institutions. She has published on neighborhood governance and urban revitalization, state and local government performance, and intergovernmental finance and service provision arrangements. Current research topics focus on fiscal resilience and coproduction in local service provision as well as state and local performance management.
Steven Jensen
DPPD
Board Member
Dr. Steven Jensen is an advisor and educator in Disaster Risk Management, focusing on policy and governance. He has served for forty years in humanitarian assistance and emergency services. Dr. Jensen earned a Doctorate in Policy from the University of Southern California, a Master of Science in Emergency Management from California State University, and a Bachelor of Science in International Studies from Whitworth University. Strong analytical skills, backed by extensive experience and education, allow Dr. Jensen to help shape the emerging field of DRM. To this end, Dr. Jensen has recently been focused on developing the next- generation core competencies to guide education and practice, as well as writing and offering presentations on strategic issues. Dr. Jensen is a co-author of the “2018 Woolsey Fire—A Catalyst for Change” report and a key contributor and participant in the Community Brigade Pilot Program.
Jose Garcia
Board Member
Jose Garcia is a seasoned executive and human resources leader whose career has been guided by his values of God, family, and country. A natural leader known for clarity, integrity, and a strong customer-focused approach, he brings decades of experience solving complex organizational challenges, reducing conflict, and building high-performing teams. His leadership foundation was forged in the U.S. Army, where he served honorably with the elite 82nd Airborne Division and earned a Bronze Star for exceptionally meritorious service. Jose holds an MBA and a Bachelor of Science in Applied Management from Azusa Pacific University.
Currently serving as Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Commerce Casino in Southern California, Jose leads HR strategy for a 24/7 operation supporting over 2,100 employees. His diverse background includes senior HR leadership roles across healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture, hospitality, and operations, as well as entrepreneurship through his founding of Garcia Consulting Services, an HR firm dedicated to supporting small, mid-sized, and minority-owned businesses throughout Southern California.