Andrew Phelps, Director Andrew began his career in New York where he was an active member of the response and emergency management community, serving as a response team member of New York Search and Rescue, and Rescue Team Chief for New York City’s first FEMA-recognized Community Emergency Response Team. Andrew left New York to manage the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management’s Local Preparedness Program which provided technical assistance to local and tribal emergency management programs. Andrew also served as New Mexico’s Emergency Operations Center Planning Section Chief for several federally declared disasters. Prior to his arrival in Oregon, Andrew was the Director of Emergency Management for the City of Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he was also served as a volunteer firefighter with the Santa Fe County Fire Department. He was hired as director for the Oregon Office of Emergency Management in February 2015.
Andrew graduated magna cum laude from John Jay College in New York City with a degree in Public Administration/Emergency Management and Planning. He received his Master of Arts from the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security in Monterey, California. His master’s thesis, Play Well With Others: Improvisational Theater and Collaboration in the Homeland Security Environment, was published in September, 2013.
Matt Marheine, Deputy DirectorMatt Marheine was
named Deputy Director for Oregon Office of Emergency Management in February
2017. He began his career with OEM in 2000 as the agency’s Domestic
Preparedness Coordinator. He held this position until July 2013 when he was
hired as Operations and Preparedness Section Manager. In this position, Matt
and his team managed responsibility for homeland security, earthquake and
tsunami education, preparedness planning, emergency operations, search and
rescue, communications, training and exercises statewide. During State
incidents Matt represents the State as the ECC Manager and Operations Manager
for the administration of the State Emergency Coordination Center (ECC).
Prior to his role at OEM Matt worked for the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) Region III Philadelphia, implementing and managing Human Services
Programs.
Matt participates in the Emergency Management Accreditation Program
(EMAP) and has assisted in the development of EMAP standards since 2003.
Sonya Andron, Operations and Preparedness Section ManagerSonya’s passion for emergency management and
response operations began following the tragic events of 9/11.
With a master’s degree in Public Health, Sonya taught college courses for 16
years including Portland Community College, New Mexico State University,
University of Texas at El Paso, and most recently at Northern Arizona
University. Additionally, Sonya has worked for state and local governments in
the fields of environmental health, public health, and emergency management.
While living in
Arizona, Sonya began the Coconino County Training and Technical Assistance
Program, which worked with county school districts in updating their emergency
response plans.
She came to Oregon Office of
Emergency Management in July 2017.
Clint Fella, Mitigation and Recovery Section Manager As Mitigation and Recovery Section Manager for Oregon’s Office of Emergency Management, Clint Fella oversees a team of dedicated professionals who distribute and track federal grant dollars to local city, county and tribal agencies to ensure mitigation and recovery programs are benefitting the community. Clint also serves as the state coordinating officer, working with FEMA and other state and federal partners in the recovery phase of disasters.
Including his work at OEM, which he began in February 2015, Clint has nearly a decade of state service filling auditor and analyst roles with the Department of Consumer and Business Services, and the Office of the Secretary of State. Prior to his work in state government, Clint spent 15 years at Hewlett Packard in a variety of positions, including manager and financial analyst. He holds a Master of Business and Public Administration from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon.
Frank Kuchta, State 9-1-1 Program Section Manager State 9-1-1 Program Section Manager Frank Kuchta manages the team of professionals at Oregon Office of Emergency Management who are tasked with administering the statewide 9-1-1 program. This includes distribution of 9-1-1 revenue to local jurisdictions, oversight of the emergency communications network and support services required to deliver 2 million 9-1-1 emergency calls for assistance made within Oregon each year.
Frank came to OEM in 2015 as project portfolio manager for the 9-1-1 program. In this role, Frank made significant contributions to the 9-1-1 program including the replacement and modernization of statewide 9-1-1 network services connecting all 43 Oregon Public Safety Answering Points, and the development of a multi-phased Next Generation 9-1-1 tactical plan.
Frank has held several State of Oregon leadership positions, most recently for the Office of the State Chief Information Officer, Enterprise Technology Services where he oversaw a team of senior project managers responsible for implementing a portfolio of statewide technology initiatives.