Tiffany Brown joins Lane County as emergency manager

Tiffany Brown, a leader in emergency management in Oregon, has been chosen as Lane County’s new emergency manager. She started in her new role Feb. 5.

“We are so fortunate to have Tiffany Brown joining Lane County as the new emergency manager,” said Lane County Policy Director Steve Adams. “She has been in the trenches of local response for many years and is well-positioned to continue to build our program here. Her vast experience in training, exercise, working with partners and the community will serve her – and our community – well.”

Brown succeeds Patence Winningham, who served as the emergency manager for four years before joining Oregon’s Department of Emergency Management as its deputy director.

Brown was selected after a competitive national search. The position is responsible for planning and directing emergency management activities and projects; collaborating with partners in the government, private and nonprofit sectors to conduct and coordinate countywide mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery activities; and updating and maintaining the county’s comprehensive Emergency Operations Plan. 

“It is very exciting to be back in the area and humbling to have been selected for the position,” Brown said. “The ice storm created a unique opportunity for me to hit the ground running, and in coming months, I look forward to discovering other ways that my experiences on the North Coast can benefit the residents and support our community partners in Lane County.”

Brown served the last eight years as the emergency manager for Clatsop County. She brings a wealth of experience in local emergency management with a focus on regional preparedness, response, and mitigation related to catastrophic events – most notably the Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake.

Related to her work on Cascadia preparedness, Brown has developed partnerships with state and federal military agencies that can also benefit Lane County’s coastal residents ahead of a CSZ earthquake and its related tsunami.

Prior to her role as Clatsop County’s emergency manager, she served as an emergency coordinator and clerk of the Board of County Commissioners there. She has also served as a 9-1-1 dispatcher. 

Brown is a graduate of the University of Oregon and holds a bachelor’s degree in English. She also has a master’s degree in security studies from the Center for Homeland Defense and Security Naval Postgraduate School.

She is a member of the Oregon Seismic Safety Policy Advisory Commission (OSSPAC), as well as a FEMA instructor and a Certified Emergency Manager, which is a nationally and internationally recognized certification for emergency managers.