Building Community Resilience is Who We Are
Join us in creating solutions that empower communities to collaborate effectively and thrive.
Our Values
Partnership
We partner with local and regional organizations to create resilient communities from the inside out.
Resilience
We work with communities that have experienced or are vulnerable to disaster to foster self-reliance and resilience.
Self-Reliance and Cooperation
We work to remove obstacles and foster self-reliance and cooperation.
Journey: Our Timeline To Resilience
2015
2020
2024 - Present
2015 - 2019 SSCRA is founded in the aftermath of the Valley Fire. Initially we focus on core recovery issues. Our first funding is from the American Red Cross, helping distribute $100K in disaster assistance to affected families. We begin to meet with local groups to understand long term recovery efforts. Further funding from Cal Fire helps us hold large scale community workshops prior to and after each fire season and to help homeowners improve their fire safety. We start organizing FireWise communities and building active relationships throughout Lake County on full spectrum community resilience strategies. We are invited to Paradise to consult with community organizers there following the catastrophic Camp Fire.
2020 - 2024 A major grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco allows us to create a first of its kind post-wildfire Community Resilience and Development Strategy (link). We continue to cultivate active partnerships within the Cobb Mt. community and throughout Lake County. We receive funding from the California Natural Resources Agency and PG&E's Nature Positive Innovations Fund to promote restoration of local watersheds and creeks guided by Tribal members, building working partnerships with local landowners. We help other communities throughout Lake County organize Firewise communities. We play a key role in the 2023 update of the Lake County CWPP.
2024 - Present Continuing to support local Firewise communities, we receive a US Forest Service grant to create a comprehensive Cobb Mt. Community Wildfire Protection Pl
Meet the SSCRA Team
Dedication. Expertise. Passion.
Meet the SSCRA team—dedicated professionals committed to serving, supporting, and empowering our community.
Executive Director
Eliot Hurwitz
Eliot is co-founder and Executive Director of SSCRA. He was the managing member of the Bright Village LLC, a cooperative fire-recovery affordable housing project in Lake County, CA. Previously he served as Planning Manager for the Napa County Transportation and Planning Agency, as a Senior Policy Advisor to the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission and as a writer and Intergovernmental Affairs Specialist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, with a focus on sustainable communities policy. From 2016-2020 he served as the first Chair of the Cobb Area Council.
Operations Director
Magdalena Valderrama
Magdalena is co-founder and Operations Director for SSCRA. She has worked across a range of community issues with nonprofit organizations, including the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation and the American Red Cross. Magdalena sits on the board of directors for the South Lake Fire Safe Council, and is an invited core member of the national Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network (FAC Net). Magdalena’s presence represents the first time a core member has entered FAC Net from the field of fire recovery.
Administrator
Shasta McBride
Shasta is a nonprofit administrator with a diverse background in UX strategy, digital marketing, and operational leadership, bringing years of experience in community engagement, strategic planning, and technology-driven solutions. Her work includes overseeing digital initiatives, streamlining processes, and developing user-centered programs that enhance impact through storytelling. With a strong foundation in research, stakeholder collaboration, and content strategy, Shasta has successfully led projects across nonprofit education, financial services, and community development.
Board of Directors
Commitment. Knowledge. Enthusiasm.
Our board is dedicated to fostering collaboration, innovation, and impact in our mission to serve our community and beyond.
Retired Businessman
Steve Reed
From 1977 to his retirement in 2005, Steve Reed started and managed several natural food companies. Since retiring, he has focused on supporting nonprofits as a board member, committee adviser, and business mentor, while also advising for-profit startups.
Business Consultant and Educator
Melanie Garrett
Melanie Fae Garrett is a “boots on the ground” force with thirty years’ experience in rural business development for entrepreneurial startups and small business owners. She partners with organizations whose missions contribute to the empowerment of rural communities in which all stakeholders – individuals, groups, and the natural environment – benefit.
Community Psychologist
Christopher Nettles, Ph.D.
Christopher D. Nettles received his Ph.D in Clinical & Community Psychology from George Washington University, where he taught for several years. He consults on community health & well-being (especially marginalized communities) and hyperlocal community development. He was elected to the Cobb Area Council in 2020.
Businessman, Insurance
Patrick Lambert
A Lake County native, Pat has been the Farmers Insurance agent in Lakeport for the past 25 years. Pat also has an extensive background in retail management with national chain stores and has a sharp eye for local economic dynamics, workforce development, and community service. As steward of 50 acres of Cobb forestland, Pat has a deep commitment to the land and to the community.
Community
Partners
SSCRA collaborates with various organizations, local authorities, and stakeholders to amplify the impact of our work. Together with our partners, we strive to create sustainable solutions that benefit the entire community and foster a sense of collective responsibility towards long-term growth and resilience.
The (Cobb Area) strategy presents a comprehensive path to recovery that can be embraced by the community and serve, additionally, as direction and motivation for other agencies and organizations in Lake County to follow a similar path.
Wilda Shock, Past President, Lake EDC