Trial by Fire: Lessons in Crisis Leadership
Just days after being sworn in as the mayor of South Pasadena, California, the Eaton wildfires began burning—turning towns into unrecognizable debris. A multi-state emergency response effort was underway, and Janet Braun ’85 jumped in to help lead the safety response efforts in her community.
“When California experiences a natural disaster such as a minor earthquake, I often feel that the media’s portrayal of the conditions are exaggerated; however, after touring the completely devastated neighborhoods incinerated by the Eaton fire, I can tell you that the devastation is much worse than you can even imagine,” shared Braun.
Her town of South Pasadena was fortunate in that it suffered no loss of life or catastrophic property damage.
“Yes, there is ash and soot everywhere, and we experienced downed power lines and fallen trees, but we feel fortunate in South Pasadena,” Braun explained. “We all know people who have tragically lost their homes. The question now is, where will all these people go, and how do we help to rebuild these communities?”
Braun begins her role as mayor wrestling with this question and others, but she has experience leading in her city.
Braun has been an active city official for over a decade. Braun understood that people were counting on her leadership and counsel during this crisis, and she rose to the challenge. “Your responses are faster in a time of crisis, but your character and ethics remain the same,” said Braun. “Good leadership is good leadership.”
Braun stressed that as leaders find themselves in a crisis, it is important that they remain calm, confident, and set the tone for communication. “During a crisis, there isn’t time to panic. Your constituents are counting on you to solve problems, to coordinate mutual aid agreements, and to communicate,” Braun said. “In the beginning, our emergency operations center was fully activated and coordinated, and we quickly started posting on social media, with frequent updates on the city’s website, and providing press releases several times a day to keep people informed.”
In an effort to cultivate hope in her community, Braun remains optimistic. She makes an intentional effort to spotlight the positive things people are doing to help those impacted by the fires. “The outpouring of our residents’ support and willingness to donate their time and resources to help those in need has been overwhelming. Even during these darkest times, the strength of our community shines.”
"It’s important to acknowledge the loss,” shared Braun. “It’s going to be a long process, but we are a strong community, and we will get to the other side.” Braun shared that her community and those surrounding South Pasadena are committed to the monumental task of rebuilding, which will be a long and arduous process. Braun shared, “With resilience, grit and optimism, we will get through this together.”
Braun closed out our interview by sharing her gratitude for the first responders—the firefighters, police officers, and mutual aid—for their tremendous efforts to keep her community safe and minimize property damage..
To learn more about Braun, read an in-depth profile here.