Emergency Coordinator and Interim Director of Risk Management & Safety Services, Christina Koczera, has been named the new Director of Risk Management & Safety Services.

Cris has worked in the field of emergency management and risk analysis for more than two decades. She brings with her the partnerships from the federal, state and local levels she has built over two decades, in addition to her passion for serving her community and the Humboldt State University community.

Cris has a long commitment to community service. In high school she began as a volunteer in Minnesota with the Minnesota Disaster Relief Corp and joined the AmeriCorps program, where she met her husband. They eventually moved to Arcata where she was hired by the American Red Cross out of the Eureka chapter and served in a number of roles within that organization. Since then, she has responded to more than 40 nationally declared disasters including 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and Hurricane Sandy. She is the recipient of the Presidential Lifetime of Service Award, which is the nation’s highest award in voluntary service. 

Cris joined HSU in 2018 as the University’s Emergency Coordinator and Business Continuity manager. Since then, she has been instrumental in guiding the campus through a number of unprecedented emergencies, including the pandemic. Her planning efforts have been key in fostering strong partnerships with Humboldt County Public Health and other local agencies. 

For the last 11 years, she has coached Humboldt State Women’s Lacrosse team. She has a degree in Emergency Management from American Public University, served as a chair for the local VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) and the Redwood Tsunami Workgroup, and has served on the board of the local Habitat for Humanity chapter. 

Please join me in congratulating Cris!

Sherie C. Gordon
Chief of Staff and Interim Vice President for Finance & Administration