At the heart of every successful emergency management solution are the practitioners who bring their diverse experience and a human-first perspective. While technology is essential, practitioners, like Eliza Gomez, are the ones who make the real difference. Her dynamic journey, from an unexpected volunteer to a voice for community resilience, has shaped a career defined by community and a people-first perspective.
A Pivot from Pen to Preparedness
Eliza’s path into emergency management began with a brief decision that defined the trajectory of her career. Originally a gifted writer and communications major at Brigham Young University, following in the footsteps of her book publicist parents, everything changed in 1992.
After Hurricane Andrew struck South Florida, Eliza volunteered with church groups to provide relief alongside military and aid organizations. Witnessing the devastation firsthand sparked a passion to serve, prompting a career shift from literature to emergency management. This pivot launched a fulfilling career that has truly given her a global perspective across multiple sectors.
She began in local government in Broward County, where she was unexpectedly tasked with managing the medical/special needs sheltering and registry program, which quickly introduced her to the foundations and realities of FEMA and emergency management. Eliza then shifted to the nonprofit sector, managing volunteers and donations for United Way, before moving to the American Red Cross as a Regional Disaster Services Manager, covering 16 counties in South Florida and gaining deep on-the-ground fieldwork experience.
After several years in the nonprofit sector, she transitioned to higher education, serving as a QA/QI Coordinator and later, Research Integrity Coordinator, at Florida International University. Throughout this time, Eliza continued volunteering with her church, moving into a disaster operations and recovery leadership and advisory role.
In 2017, Eliza relocated to South Texas with her husband and son, yet another defining moment in her journey. She served in public health with the Hidalgo County Health Department, becoming a subject-matter expert for the federal Strategic National Stockpile (PODS) Program. She later worked with the state’s hospital preparedness program during the COVID-19 pandemic. Leveraging her cross-sector background, Eliza took on a directorship at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV).
Championing Veoci for BCP
Frustrated with emergency systems used in previous roles, she sought a platform that could handle the unique and complex needs of higher education. Veoci’s suitability for implementing business continuity planning (BCP), a capability UTRGV previously lacked, and a fantastic demo experience, helped the platform stand out from the rest. After nearly two years of advocating, Eliza successfully championed the adoption of Veoci at UTRGV. This decision, driven by her diverse background in government, healthcare, and nonprofit work, highlights her insight into what makes an emergency system truly effective.
After several years with UTRGV, Eliza joined the Veoci team as an Account Manager, which allows her to share her experiences and lessons learned, especially within the Higher Education vertical. Having had the opportunity to work across multiple sectors, her knowledge is valuable in understanding a global view on emergency management. To Eliza, seeing and learning about Veoci from a different perspective, from a whole systems view, provides yet another learning opportunity to develop in her career.
Lifelong Learning and Community Advocacy
Eliza’s passion lies with vulnerable populations, a group she strongly believes includes students who rely on university services such as food pantries and counseling centers. From her global perspective on emergency management and community resiliency, she is a fierce advocate for viewing these dependent communities as high-risk populations that require greater investment “because they are the next generation…and the return on the investment is exponential.”
As a lifelong learner, Eliza advises those interested in emergency management to seek mentorship by reaching out to professionals in the field and taking advantage of free self-directed training programs. She also recommended pursuing any internship or volunteer opportunities to gain experience because “back in the day…if you had a knack for it, and you were a workhorse and willing to work crazy hours because you care about people in a time of disaster or crisis, then you’re called to the team, and you learn as you go.”
To Eliza, family is the most important part of her life, especially her son. She is a devoted advocate for foster parenting and adoption programs, as well as autism and special needs, causes she holds dear to her heart. Eliza unwinds through her artistic and musical hobbies, including pottery and jewelry-making, and remains a lifelong bookworm, a nod to her literature roots.