The Office of Emergency Management (OEM) is staffed with personnel and an on-call Incident Management Team comprising of members from various college areas who can be activated during a response to staff the Emergency Operations Center.
Ali Shah, Director of Emergency Management
Ali Shah brings to the office 17 years of public safety experience from various agencies at the federal, state and municipal levels. He holds certifications as a firefighter, paramedic, hazmat and rescue technician as well as multiple instructor credentials. Prior to being the Emergency Manager for the College Ali started as a faculty member with the Emergency Medical Technology department in 2009, transitioning into the position of director of the Emergency Medical Technology Department before moving to OEM.
Ali is an avid outdoorsman and in his free time enjoys camping and hiking trips with family, friends and sometimes even student groups interested in learning about outdoor recreation.
Liana Russell, Sr. Administrative Assistant
Liana has a history of diverse educational and professional experiences. She thrives in ever changing environments where learning new things is a constant requirement. She excels in anything of an administrative nature and enjoys helping others succeed as she believes when one member of a team succeeds, the whole team is moved forward. Oregon was her birthplace and home for the first half of her life. She has lived in Houston for almost a decade, where her children are now attending university and her husband of 30+ years enjoys taking her on day trips and Caribbean cruises. Outside of work, Liana prioritizes family, dogs and traveling. She has volunteered for many years in various capacities for the HOA’s she has lived in since first owning a home. She has been with the college since 2021.
Ashley Arratia, Part-Time Administrative Assistant
Ashley was born in Houston, Texas and raised in La Porte, Texas. She started as San Jacinto College in 2018 and graduated in 2020 with an Associates degree in General Studies. Ashley is currently in the Surgical Technology program and hopes to graduate from the program next Fall and become a Certified Surgical Technologist. Ashley has always had a passion for helping people and making a difference in others' lives. In the future, she hopes to become an instructor for a Surgical Technology program and help others pursue their dreams in becoming a Surgical Technologist.
In her free time, Ashley likes to be with friends and family and finding different things to do around Houston.
Diane Lu, Business Continuity Specialist
Diane started as an Emergency Management Intern and has been with the College since early 2020. She transitioned into Business Continuity late 2021. She has a B.S. in Criminology and Criminal Justice from University of Houston – Clear Lake and is currently pursuing a graduate certificate in Digital Investigations from Sam Houston State University. She also hopes to pursue a Masters in the coming future. Before joining OEM, Diane volunteered and worked at various events and conferences, including for pet adoptions, diversity discussions, and student research.
Diane enjoys gaming, learning bits of languages and hopes for the winter season throughout the hot and sunny summers.
Lucy Salinas, Emergency Management Specialist
Lucy started with the College August of 2021 as the Emergency Management Specialist. Lucy’s academic journey began as a dual-credit student in high school where she earned her Associates Degree in Fine Art with her high school diploma. She then went on to attend Sam Houston State University for her undergrad and graduate studies. Lucy has a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, a Master of Science in Homeland Security Studies, and a Graduate Certificate in Emergency Management. Since completing her Masters degree, Lucy has completed many trainings with various agencies such as FEMA. Lucy is currently in the process of obtaining her Associate Emergency Manager Certification through the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM). Lucy’s next academic goal is to obtain her PhD!
In her free time, she enjoys going to concerts, watching horror movies, collecting action figures, rescuing stray dogs, and most of all, spending time with her 2 pups – Quinn and Ollie!
Amber Castro-Beltran, Part-Time Emergency Management Specialist
Amber Castro-Beltran began her career with Public Safety as a 9-1-1 Telecommunicator. In 2015, she moved to Huntsville Texas and become a dispatcher for the local Police Department. While in Huntsville, Amber attended Sam Houston State University to complete her undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice. In addition, she received her Master of Science in Homeland Security Studies, with a certificate in Emergency Management. Before transitioning to Emergency Management, Amber was responsible for obtaining and managing a national accreditation law enforcement program for a Houston-area Police Department.
In her free time, Amber enjoys reading and spending time with her family and dogs.
Taylor Blackmon, Part-Time Emergency Management Specialist
Taylor was born and raised in Houston, Texas so when deciding her career path in high school, she always knew serving her community would be an integral component. She is an undergraduate at Texas Southern University completing her B.S. in Emergency Management and Homeland Security.
Taylor is a coffee connoisseur, an avid thrifter and collector of vinyl records. She also spends a lot of her free time with her 4-year-old puppy.
Ivonne Schneider, Emergency Management Intern
Ivonne, being a military child, moved around the country growing up. She became aware of the diverse needs of her communities and wanted to pursue a path in serving her community. As an undergraduate at Mercyhurst University in Erie, PA she earned her B.S. in Forensic Anthropology with a minor in Criminal Psychology. After graduating she moved to Los Angeles and became aware of the Emergency Management field. She is currently earning her Master’s in Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management. Ivonne hopes to pursue a path in policy both professionally and academically.
Ivonne enjoys spending time with her puppy and spouse, puzzling, and listening to true crime podcasts. She also enjoys hiking and running.
Juan J. (JJ) Riojas, Fire and Life Safety Inspector