The PA VOAD annual meeting and dinner will be held in conjunction with the KEMA Conference at the Blair County Convention Center in Altoona, September 27, 2026.
Featured speaker this year will be Mitch Stripling, director of the NYC Preparedness and Recovery Institute (PRI) and the author of the new book, The Epistemology of Disasters and Social Change, and its accompanying podcast, Tough Shift. He has a long history of leadership roles in emergency management, disaster response and planning, coordination, and response to public health crises.
He gave this presentation at the NVOAD Conference in May on how AI can support the work we do.
SHIRLEY NORMAN AWARD
It is time to make nominations for the annual Rev. Shirley Norman Award. Do you know someone who exhibits Rev. Shirley’s spirit and commitment to the advancement of the VOAD mission? Then please consider taking a moment to fill out this short nomination form. Instructions are on the form. Nominations must be submitted by August 31, 2026, to Greg Crossley, PA VOAD Secretary, using the Google Form or by sending the information to uema@verizon.net or pavoad3@gmail.com. (You can also submit a nomination here.)