Our Approach
Resolute Associates follows a strategic approach with clients to evaluate needs, identify desired outcomes ("end state"), set objectives, determine tasks and necessary resources, support implementation, and reevaluate for effectiveness. Client involvement is critical and valued throughout the process. Clients may identify points of contact, core planning team members, and stakeholders for collaboration. We provide project scope, status reports, ongoing communication, and draft content for client review and approval throughout the process.
Our Beliefs
Organizations face social, economic, legal, and environmental challenges which demands deliberate analysis, planning, and leadership. Effective plans and efforts have never been more important.
Client-Centered
Our clients guide our work. We learn from them to discover needs, build teams, and align systems for professionally-tailored deliverables and actions. Clients review content and provide direction to ensure outcomes are reflective of their organizational desires.
We seek opportunities to leverage our collective talents and experience to move organizations forward in their readiness and resiliency to successfully navigate their ever-changing industry landscape.
Experienced Experts
Our associates have extensive experience in real-world complex issues. Our past public service is central to our continuing passion for helping communities.
We have both technical abilities and executive leadership skills. We leverage our vast amount of experience and knowledge in emergency response and command to help organizations strategically and decisively. Our associates have experience managing employees, adhering to regulations, and working with boards of directors.
Value-Oriented
Our firm is modeled around our deeply held values of service, diligence, and healthy relationships.
Private and public partnerships have been integral to our shared success in protecting our communities, and we have the perspective and aptitude for creating alignment and delivering results. We understand that it is no longer feasible to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from crisis without bringing together the collective talents across government agencies, businesses, and academia. Facilitating this type of unity is a core service we provide.
Personalized Products & Service
Our expert associates choose to be part of our team. We share common values and work ethic to ensure your organization receives a quality experience and product.
We provide clients a team that understands the challenges of decision-making, pressure of operations, and the responsibility to keep people safe. As such, we are flexible in working in-person and on multiple digital platforms and can produce deliverables in the manner that suits client preferences.
Our Team of Professional Associates
Robert Lewin, BA, Resolute Associates Principal & Executive Leader NPS
Robert Lewin began his career with the fire service at the age of seventeen as a Cal Poly student firefighter. Through his career he has persevered and prevailed through experiences and challenges that he could have never imagined. The most important aspect of his tenure is the consistent importance of service to community and to the people he has commanded and led. As the CAL FIRE/San Luis Obispo County Fire Chief, and then as the Director of the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management (OEM), Lewin served and interacted with executive bodies, including boards of supervisors, city councils, local community service districts, county advisory councils, planning commissions, and other organizations. Lewin has authored and presented ordinances and resolutions, staff reports on fire code interpretations, and challenging budget documents and adjustments.
An accomplished public speaker with a background in government and media relations, Lewin has spoken at press conferences and community meetings, briefed dignitaries, such as the Governor and State Senators, presented at a variety of conferences, and published many articles. As a Type 1 Incident Commander he has successfully commanded emergency incidents with over 3,000 firefighters and other responders. Command and leadership roles have required Lewin to lead and manage many high-profile complex emergencies and disasters.
With extensive relevant experience, advanced training, and strengths encompassing budget administration, innovation, communication, emergency management, collaboration, and leadership, Lewin is a well-rounded leader-manager who effectively allocates resources, coordinates operations, and motivates dedicated individuals to succeed.
Lewin has published several articles and presented at many conferences on Emergency Management. He is an author at Homeland Security Today
Leaving government service in spring of 2019, Lewin is now committed to consolidating his experience and applying his effort to protecting people in a world that is challenged by increasing threats.
Kevin Cooper, MS
Kevin Cooper began his career in 1980 at the University of Montana studying grizzly bear ecology and working summers as a backcountry ranger and wildlife researcher with the US Park Service at Mount Rainier and Crater Lake National Parks. After completing graduate school at the University of Alaska and Oregon State University studying Rocky Mountain elk he moved to San Luis Obispo in 1987 to work as a biologist on the Los Padres National Forest, where he worked as a district, zone, and finally the Forest Biologist before retiring in 2018.
Kevin supervised the Los Padres Wildlife, Fisheries, Botany, Range, and Watershed Programs and worked with interdisciplinary teams to mitigate project impacts to wildlife, conduct wildlife surveys, write NEPA and Endangered Species Act (ESA) reports, monitor project effects on wildlife, and respond to litigation regarding forest programs such as developed recreation, wilderness management, road and trail management, fuels treatment planning, timber management, oil and gas development, range management, wildfire suppression, and watershed management. Kevin participated in Forest land management planning and worked with other federal and local agencies to manage species across political boundaries on efforts such as the California Condor Recovery Team.
Kevin also worked throughout his wildlife career as a firefighter on hand crews, and eventually became the Lead Resource Advisor and Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) leader, coordinator, and liaison for large wildfires such as the 2018 Thomas Fire where he was able to bring together all of his skills as a leader to help organize the interagency flood assessment before, during, and after the Montecito debris flows.
Holly Warrick, MA
Holly Warrick serves as the Schools Liaison for Santa Barbara County Education Office. As a Resolute associate, she has served as a subject matter expert and liaison in response to the COVID-19 emergency. Since 2019, Holly has worked with Resolute on a range of emergency operations plans, trainings, strategic planning, system oversight, transitional efforts, and alignment with state and local guidance through program facilitation for planning and compliance documents, communications, training, system integration, and organizational alignment for compliance for private and public agency clients. She has knowledge and experience evaluating and implementing strategically designed systems from her time as a COVID-19 coordinator for school districts and the administrator of a well-recognized, public charter school in San Luis Obispo where she held concurrent positions of Superintendent/Principal, Special Education Director, Chief Business Officer, and was the primary author for strategic plans, grants, and compliance policies.
Holly has experience on nonprofit and educational governing boards and current knowledge of state, federal, and local legalities, in addition to the structural connections across individual sectors that include Ralph M. Brown Act procedures, budget development, human resources, negotiations, policy development, professional decorum, public speaking, and community involvement. Holly is adept at analytical evaluation with data-based evidence and the facilitation of collaborative structural planning to achieve a central vision. She is conscious of purposeful communication to implement achievable actions for sustainable growth efforts and enjoys a collaborative process.
Holly has a Clear Administrative Credential, Master of Arts in Leadership and Administration, Clear Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, and Bachelor of Science in Liberal Studies through California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo and will hold a Master of Arts in Business, Law, and Technology with co-concentrations in Business Operations and Emerging Law in Spring 2025 through Santa Barbara College of Law.
Susan Klein-Rothschild, MS
Susan has more than thirty-five years of experience leading organizations, implementing meaningful systems changes, and mentoring others. Susan worked as Managing Director of Executive Education at Stanford University, Deputy Director of the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, and Director of Family Services in Clark County, Nevada where she was responsible for setting vision, leading staff and administering programs that served thousands of children and families. Susan had her own full-time consulting business for 8 years working in more than twenty states. As a consultant, Susan focused on leadership, training, human services, and organizational development. She wrote a grant that was awarded $2 million dollars annually for five years.
At the Public Health Department, Susan led responses to many emergency situations and local disasters including a number of devastating fires, the Refugio oil spill, the Montecito Debris Flow, and several communicable disease outbreaks. Susan received a Master’s Degree in Social Work from San Diego State University and a Bachelors Degree in sociology from California State University, Northridge. Lifelong learning is a passion for Susan. She has received training in mediation, facilitation, community organizing and Lean Six Sigma.
Susan gravitates to roles where she can make system improvements that positively impact many people concurrently, both employees and consumers of the services. She creates a culture of appreciation where all individuals feel welcome and respected. Susan applies leadership, analytical and analysis skills alongside the interpersonal skills so essential to success.
Suzanne Grimmesey, MFT
Suzanne Grimmesey is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She earned her BA in Psychology from the University of San Diego, her MA in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University. Suzanne has been working in the Behavioral Health field since 1991, including providing first responder debriefings, functioning as a Public Information Officer (PIO), and leading regional Disaster Behavioral Health coordination. Suzanne has worked closely with school districts providing training and leading school-based Behavioral Health disaster and trauma response including postvention response for suicides, student deaths, psychological first aid, and aiding in establishing ongoing support structures.
Suzanne was instrumental in the Santa Barbara County Community Wellness Team, formed in response to the 2017 Thomas Fire and subsequent 2018 1/9 Debris Flow. This Team functioned as the collaboration of 13 local agencies working together to support the wellness of the Santa Barbara community. Services provided through this model allowed for a full continuum of care, which range from immediate crisis counseling through intensive outpatient programs at regional medical care facilities. Suzanne operates from a framework that collective response and community collaboration of resources are critical to meet the individualized behavioral health needs which occur during a disaster.
Suzanne received recognition as a 2018 Woman of the Year by State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson and Assemblymember Monique Limón for the role she played in the Behavioral Health response for the Thomas Fire and 1/9 Debris Flow. Suzanne has completed the CalOES Advanced Public Information Officer training and currently serves on the roster as a trainer for this course. She is presently serving on a Disaster Behavioral Health project workgroup sponsored by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to guide the development of Disaster Behavioral Health toolkits for use statewide. Suzanne led the FEMA funded HOPE 805 team of crisis counselors (formed after the Thomas Fire and 1/9 Debris Flow) in Santa Barbara County and has provided consultation to other counties and college campuses on Disaster Behavioral Health amidst occurring disasters. Suzanne has been involved with the Behavioral Health response for many local disasters. Some of these include the Isla Vista Mass Murder, Borderline Shooting, Family Mass Murders, Santa Maria Town Center Hotel Fire, wildfires, multiple school responses for student deaths by suicide as well as other traumatic events impacting school campuses, and other local disasters having broad community impact.
Suzanne carries a firm belief in the resiliency gained through helping individuals and communities cope with disaster and traumatic events.
Jan Koegler, MPH, MEP
Jan Koegler has a master’s in public health from UCLA and 30 years of experience in public health program implementation. A FEMA certified Master Exercise Practitioner, she conducted more than 40 disaster exercises in her 18 years as manager of the Emergency Preparedness Program for the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department. Jan also served as the department’s terrorism liaison officer, the Medical Reserve Corps co-chair, and representative to the California Department of Public Health Emergency Preparedness Office Strategic Planning Steering Committee and medical shelter planning guidance workgroup. Most recently she was the coordinator for the COVID-19 Testing and Vaccination workgroup for Santa Barbara County providers.
Jan has developed a wide range of disaster plans including the Santa Barbara Public Health Department operation center plan and procedures, Ebola response, white powder/bioterrorism, evacuation and medical sheltering, mass vaccination/prophylaxis, pandemic influenza, and epidemiologic surge response.
In her role as coordinator of the Santa Barbara County Disaster Healthcare Coalition, Jan developed a structure to provide coordinated response and support during disaster events through partnerships between public health, EMS, hospital, outpatient, home health, long term care, and the Medical Reserve Corps. These partnerships, practiced during annual disaster exercises, have proven invaluable to protect the county’s most vulnerable residents during the fires, debris flow, and pandemic disasters faced by Santa Barbara and neighboring counties since 2009.
An advocate for integrated and sustainable safety and disaster programs, Jan has developed procedures and training templates that support a regular program of safety and emergency preparedness for clinical and non-clinical staff in healthcare, long-term care, and other agencies. These include both emergency operations center and general agency disaster policies, and specific response procedures for hazards such as active shooter, infectious disease, wildfire evacuations and sheltering response.
Jan has more than 25 years of experience developing and providing training for a wide range of audiences, from administrative leaders to hands on staff. Jan’s interest is to support organizations to develop their own ongoing staff training programs that are integral to their safety and disaster preparedness goals.
During disasters Jan has served as the Public Health Department representative at the Santa Barbara County EOC medical and health branch. This included managing the needs for animal and environmental health field operations, coordination of medical and EMS response, mutual aid, and the evacuation of skilled and long-term care facilities, and individuals in their own homes, all requiring specialized transportation and medical sheltering. During infectious disease outbreaks Jan has served in the field as the mass vaccination site manager, vaccine logistics coordinator, training and procedure coordinator for personal protective equipment, and public information representative.
Dan Turner, Fire Chief ret.
Dan Turner began his public service career as a volunteer firefighter and used that experience to pursue a career in fire protection. Dan’s professional fire career spanned 37 years and included assignments in Tulare, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz Counties and as lead instructor in wildland fire programs at CAL FIRE’s Academy in Ione. Dan retired as Fire Chief of CAL FIRE/ San Luis Obispo County Fire Department.
During Dan’s career, he attained status as an ICS Type 1 Team Incident Commander and Type 1 Area Commander serving in Incident Command on several major emergencies including 9 federally declared disasters. Dan was Chair of CAL FIRE’s Local Government Cooperative Fire Protection Committee. Dan served on the Board of Directors of the CA Fire Chief’s Association representing SLO, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Dan has extensive instructional experience in fire management, ICS, leadership, and all hazards emergency management.
Since retirement Dan is the Business Manager of the very successful SLO County Fire Safe Council (a NOT FOR PROFIT organization founded in 1999).
Dan is a Cal Poly graduate and serves on Cal Poly’s Natural Resources and Environmental Science Advisory Council focusing on wildland urban interface fire protection and emergency management. For cal Poly, Dan coordinated the Wildland Urban Interface Fire Colloquim at Cal Poly and Australia on behalf of the US Dept of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate. Principal investigator for a CA Office of Emergency Services study of Homeland Security and Emergency Management professionals and higher education programs throughout California.
Dan is the Interim Executive Director of Cal Poly’s new Wildland Urban Interface FIRE Institute, a research and education program focused on mitigating the consequences of WUI fires though holistic education, examination, and action.
Donald Patterson, Ph.D.
Don Patterson is a 31-year veteran of law enforcement. Don retired from the Santa Barbara County (CA) Sheriff's office in 2014 as a Chief Deputy having served as the Acting Undersheriff during his last year at the Sheriff's Office. He is currently a Technical Specialist for the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management. He is an adjunct Instructor for FEMA's Emergency Management Institute for the National Emergency Advanced Academy (NEMAA), FEMA's Basic Emergency Management Academy, and the Integrated Emergency Management Course (IEMC). He Is a certified FEMA Incident Command System (ICS) Instructor. He is also a California Firefighter Joint Apprenticeship Committee certified trainer in Active Shooter response.
Don has a Bachelor of Science degree from California State University at Long Beach in Criminal Justice, with a minor in Sociology. He also holds a Master of Arts degree from the Fielding Institute in Santa Barbara, California in Organization Development and a Ph.D. from the Fielding Institute in Human and Organizational Systems. Don's dissertation topic focused on and examined Power (leadership and supervision) in Law Enforcement. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy. He was an adjunct instructor for Chapman University for 15 years, where he taught graduate and undergraduate classes in Conflict Resolution for the Organizational Leadership, and Human Resources programs.
Don taught hands-on basic and advanced law enforcement courses for over 25 years at two police academies. His duties have included training law enforcement officers in crisis response and conflict resolution. He emphasizes that during times of crisis or conflict, personnel need and want specific behavioral boundaries and structures in which to operate. The key is pre-planning and training. He has traveled to China to deliver emergency response training to several city police agencies. In 2012, he went to Egypt to train the Cairo police department in community policing.
Don has designed numerous training exercises and programs. Don has an extensive background in field operations, critical incident management, and organizational change and leadership. He was a full-time member of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Special Enforcement Team (SWAT) for seven years, including supporting the United States Secret Service in protecting, then President Reagan. He has been involved in all aspects of responding to crises and emergencies, from a front-line first responder at the Southwest Flight 182 airplane crash in San Diego in 1978 and the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power plant protests in 1981, to being the incident commander of several law enforcement events. He was the Commander in charge of the SWAT team for the 2006 Goleta Post Office massacre. He was Law Branch Director for three major fires in 2008-2009 that resulted in receiving the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office Meritorious Service award for leadership. He was also part of the executive team that managed the Isla Vista Mass Murder (Active Shooter) event, on May 23, 2014 and its aftermath. Most recently, he was the Local On-Scene Commander (LOSC) as the County representative in the Unified Command for the 2015 Refugio Oil Spill.
Don has a combination of twelve articles, book contributions and training manuals published in subjects ranging from hands-on law enforcement and security techniques, to management concerns in training and education, and leadership.
Joe Larson, BS, GIS Specialist
Joe's professional experience began with wildland firefighting, which led him to a Bachelor’s Degree in Forestry and Natural Resources. He discovered Geographic Information Systems (GIS) during his undergraduate studies and decided to make it his specialization. Along the way, he became a student of fire - exploring and enjoying wildland fire behavior modeling.
With an appreciation for all types of applications of GIS, Joe has been exposed to various offerings from Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial (FOSS4G), and currently enjoys learning these toolkits - especially as they apply to mapping, disaster/emergency response and analysis. Joe’s projects have included Wildland Pre-Attack Maps, School Active Shooter Pre-Plans, Grant Project Maps and products for Community Wildfire Protection Plans.
Past highlights of Joe's professional experience include visits to Nairobi, Kenya & Dar es Salaam, Tanzania for on-site customer training and conferences, an assignment in Florida to assist with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, successful completion of S-495 Geospatial Fire Analysis - Interpretation and Application at the National Advanced Fire and Resource Institute, and about a decade of various assignments on wildland fire incidents around the United States.
Joe's goals are to continue to become more proficient with web, databases, programming - especially as they relate to research, development, integrations and customer support. Other specialties include (past and current): Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial (FOSS4G), GIS, Infrared Interpretation (Wildfires), Fire Incident Mapping Tools (FIMT - Wildfires), cartography, geographic analysis, data science, and fire modeling.
Scott Holmquist
Retired from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) as the Assistant Deputy Director of Fire Protection Operations. With over 40 years of combined experience in All-Hazard Emergency Incident Management response and training. Qualified and certified as a Type 1 Incident Commander and was Deputy Incident Commander on one of CAL FIRE's Incident Management Teams and was qualified for several other ICS positions. His experience and leadership working in emergency management and EOC operations at all levels from local to State Operations Center (SOC), Geographic Area Coordination Center NORTHOPS Regional Operations Center, and on a state Multi-Agency Coordination Group.
Scott has worked in all levels of ALL Hazard Response of natural and human caused incidents in incident command, emergency management including public health DOC/hospitals and utility companies. Working with public health to develop Communications Plan, Mass Casualty and Mass Fatality Plans. Scott worked at Pacific Gas & Electric Company as a Public Safety Specialist that included Agency Representative/Company Representative on several All – Risk incidents wildfires, vandalism, earthquakes and planned events such as Super Bowl 50. Scott worked and mentored PG&E leadership in ALL levels of PG&E’s Emergency Management, from the field level to the Company EOC, with included working at the OES – State Operation Center as PG&E’s Utility Representative Scott remains qualified, certified and continues to instruct several of the incident command, top-level Incident Command System position specific classes and several of the management courses for Emergency Operations Centers and provides emergency management consulting to agencies, utilities and private companies. Scott has provided emergency management and firefighter training to several foreign counties that include Mexico, Central America and Argentina.
Valerie Cantella, BA
Valerie Cantella is a strategic and crisis communications professional working in Santa Barbara County. Valerie is passionate about making the world a better place by using her skills to help organizations communicate effectively to achieve their greatest impact. Her mission is to lead, inspire and contribute personally and professionally. She creates and implements comprehensive communications strategies, manages complex projects, and provides media and crisis communications training.
Valerie earned her B.A. in Political Science from Westmont College with a journalism emphasis. After graduation, she worked for several elected officials, Goleta Valley Hospital, the Goleta Valley Chamber of Commerce, the City of Goleta, and the Santa Barbara County Education Office. She provided critical emergency communications and served as a liaison in Santa Barbara County’s Emergency Operations Center during multiple incidents, including the 2015 Oil Spill, 2017 Thomas Fire, and 2018 1/9 Debris Flow.
Valerie holds a Professional Certificate in Advanced Public Engagement for Local Government from Pepperdine University’s School of Public Policy, completed the FEMA 388 Advanced PIO Training and the J. Lindsey Wolf PIO Institute Certification from the California Association of Public Information Officials (CAPIO).
In 2015, CAPIO named Valerie the first Communicator of the Year. She earned a Silver Circle Award from 3CMA (City-County Marketing Association) for “Most Creative Activity with Least Dollars Spent” and an Award of Excellence from CAPIO.
She is the Vice-Chair of Santa Barbara County’s Behavioral Wellness Commission and served two terms on the Goleta Union School District’s Board of Trustees. In 2017, Westmont College named her a Distinguished Alumna.
Dawn Hutchinson GIS SPECIALIST (GISP, GISS, IRIN)
Dawn began her GIS Specialist career in local government at the City of San Luis Obispo after attaining a Bachelor’s degree in Forestry and Natural Resource Management with a Minor in GIS, from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2001. During her time at the City she supported the mapping needs of all of the City departments but mostly supported the Fire and Police departments using paper maps, digital maps on all of the engines and squad cars, and developed and maintained the databases and CAD systems in the 911 dispatch center. Dawn also did many spatial analysis projects for the Fire Department that included response time analysis, station location analysis, and developed Wildland Interface (WUI) evacuation zones. While working closely with the San Luis Obispo Fire department she obtained her Incident Qualifications for GIS Specialist and Infrared Interpreter and has been working on active incidents with USFS and Cal Fire for over a decade and is currently GIS Team Lead on a type 1 Incident Management Team.
Dawn has been working on a pilot project with the WiFire lab at UC San Diego, CalOES and Interra Group called Fire Integrated Real-Time Intelligence System (FIRIS) and is lead modeler at UCSD Super Computer Lab. She also works with FEMA and has supported FEMA on earthquake, hurricane and COVID-19 response missions.
Since becoming interested in fire Dawn has expanded her knowledge in this field by taking several courses to expand her knowledge including S-341 GIS Specialist for Incident Management, S-443 Infrared Interpretation, S-190 Intro to Wildland Fire Behavior, S-290 Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior, S-390 Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior, Calculations, S-490 Advanced Fire Behavior Calculations, S-491 Intermediate National Fire Danger Rating System.
Dawn strives to maintain to keep up with the latest technology in her field and attends many conferences for both GIS and Fire and continues to expand her knowledge by attending online learning opportunities. She has built many professional relationships in both the GIS and fire communities whom she can reach out to for assistance if needed at any time.
We are always adding to our team. Keep checking in with us.