Disaster Preparedness & Emergency Communications

About Us

 Administration Team

Reginald Harrison
Director

Reginald "Reggie" Harrison is the Director of the City of Long Beach Department of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Communications (DPEC). Since the Department’s inception in 2014, Reggie has overseen DPEC’s operations which include Citywide emergency management; 9-1-1 emergency communications for Police, Fire and Emergency Medical Services; and the City’s Homeland Security Grants Program, which allocates millions of dollars each year for disaster preparedness training and equipment acquisition. 

As the founding Director of DPEC, Reggie has oversight of a state-of-the-art 9-1-1 Communications Center with a comprehensive training curriculum and a consolidated cross-training program to improve customer service and achieve greater efficiencies. Additionally, Reggie has established robust relationships with local education, medical, transportation, non-profit, County, State and Federal agencies to create a more coordinated disaster response to increase the City’s resiliency and return to normalcy as quickly as possible after a disaster. 

Further notable accomplishments as the DPEC Director include: the implementation of Alert Long Beach, a mass notification system to issue emergency alerts to residents and businesses; participation in the beta-site testing of MyShake, an earthquake early warning system; and the creation and update of several City disaster preparedness plans, including the Continuity of Government Plan, Hazard Mitigation Plan, and Crisis Communications Plan.

Reggie is a retired Lieutenant Colonel from the California Army National Guard. He holds a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degree and an undergraduate degree in Psychology. He and his family reside in Long Beach, where he is an active participant in the community and a member of several boards and commissions.

Meredith Dawson
Administration and Grants Officer

Meredith oversees the overall administration of the department including coordination and administration of the fiscal, personnel, accounting, purchasing, safety and facility maintenance functions. She also supervises the Homeland Security Grants Program staff and payroll functions. Her experience in grant administration, capital project management, city programs, community engagement, and budgetary analysis makes her a great asset to the City of Long Beach. Meredith holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Masters of Public Administration (MPA) degree from California State University, Northridge.

Gabriela "Gaby" Jilek
Communications Center Officer

Gaby oversees the operation of the City's 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Center (Police, Fire and Emergency Medical Services), which consists of 77 Public Safety Dispatchers and three Coordinators. She is responsible for ensuring the quality of service provided to 9-1-1 callers, the recruitment and retention efforts for new Public Safety Dispatchers, and the operational readiness of the Communications Center. Additionally, Gaby guides the department in strategic planning, participates in labor relations, and serves as a liaison to the Police and Fire Departments to ensure our 9-1-1 Communications Center is providing them with the operational support they need to serve the residents of Long Beach. Gaby holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management from the University of Phoenix, and a Masters degree in Organizational Leadership from California Coast University.

Luis Valdez
Disaster Preparedness Officer

As the City of Long Beach's Disaster Preparedness Officer, Luis plays a key role to educate staff, community partner organizations and residents on techniques and tools available to help them prepare for and recover from a major emergency or disaster. Additionally, Luis is responsible for managing the City's Emergency Operations Center and assisting with planning, organizing, and directing the disaster preparedness activities focused on the development of the City's emergency management program. Luis holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Promotion & Disease Prevention Studies from University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, and a Master of Public Health degree in Community Health Sciences from University of California, Los Angeles, Fielding School of Public Health.

Organizational Structure