About
Our Mission and Impact in Animal Rescue
Founded in 2011 by Naomi E. Tobias, the Central California Animal Disaster Team (CCADT) is dedicated to supporting pet owners and emergency responders in animal evacuation and sheltering during crises. Since our inception, we have actively responded to numerous disasters, ensuring the safety and reunification of animals in the San Joaquin Valley.
In addition, CCADT has provided mutual-aid to other CA counties: Camp Fire in Paradise, CA, Lightening Complex fire in Solano County and the Caldor Fire in El Dorado County. Our service area covers seven counties - Fresno, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Kings, Tulare, and Kern.
Empower
Board of Directors
Our leadership team gives endless hours of strategizing, fundraising, and providing educational input to ensure our communities become resilient to disasters.
Naomi E. Tobias
CEO & President
Naomi is the founder of CCADT. Since 2007, she has lead efforts in California's central valley to educate on disaster preparedness for animals. In 2011, she founded the CCADT which assists emergency responders with displaced animals during disasters.
Debi Geary
Vice President
Debi is CCADT's Kern County Branch Director. In 2017, Debi was instrumental in developing the seventh county of the Central California Animal Disaster Team. For the last 7 years, she has served as an appointed Commissioner on the Kern County Animal Services Commission.
Mary Souders
Secretary
Mary joined CCADT in its infancy in 2012 and has deployed to dozens of natural disasters with the team. She trained over 100 volunteers and has developed policies and procedures. She is employed by the law offices of McCormick Barstow, LLP.
Jeff Kermode
Treasurer
Jeff is CCADT's Public Information Officer for our Kern County Division. His past positions included being the Chief of Police in Tehachapi and afterward, the interim Chief for the Bear Valley Police Department. Currently, he owns his own business - The JJK Group, Inc.
Katrina Poitras
Director
Katrina is employed by the Tulare County Office of Emergency Services as an Emergency Specialist II. Prior to this job, she worked for American Red Cross, Central CA from 2009-2024. As a Disaster Program Manager, she supervised staff and volunteers during numerous wildfires, single/multi-family fires, and other incidents.
Team Leadership
Our Team
Dedicated professionals committed to our mission.
Beth Kellner
Mariposa/Merced/Madera Team Leader
Suzy Shimonishi
Mariposa/Madera/Merced Team Leader
Rob Dixon
Logistics / Kern County Team Lead
Donna Harris
Fundraising Manager
Leslie Harris
Logistics - Fresno County
Angelina Martin
Communications Director
Thank You To Our Community Partners!
Additional Community Partners:
Fresno County Office of Emergency Services, Tulare County Animal Services, Coarsegold - Mountain Feed & Nursery, Mariposa SPCA
Celebrate Our Journey
Achievements and Milestones in Animal Welfare
Our organization has made significant strides in promoting animal welfare and safety. Through dedicated efforts, we have positively impacted countless lives in our community.
Animals rescued and sheltered during disasters
..in the past five years.
Funds raised by public and corporate donations and grants for disaster response and preparedness
..for animal care and services.