Join us in La Grande on April 20 for a conversation about trust and disaster response with Alice Busch, Nick Vora, and Erin McMahon, three experts in emergency management working at the city, county, and state levels to respond to fires, drought, floods, and COVID. Moderator Adam Davis will lead a discussion of how trust—in institutions and among community members—affects community response.
This event will take place at HQ in La Grande (112 Depot St.) and will be streamed on YouTube. The program is part of our 2026–27 Consider This series, What Do We Trust?
About Our Guests
Alice Busch is the emergency manager for the City of Gresham. She has over 25 years of experience in emergency management, and has worked in wildfire prevention, community emergency response, and disaster resiliency planning.
Nick Vora is the emergency manager for Union County, where he also serves as the Sheriff’s Office search and rescue (SAR) coordinator, captain with the local fire district, and public safety radio systems manager. He has worked for over a decade in structure and wildland fire, law enforcement, EMS, and SAR, with an earlier federal career in agriculture and land management. In rural counties like Union, the job of an emergency manager is as much about building relationships as running operations—local partnerships, volunteers, and mutual aid are what make both planning and emergency responses successful.
Erin McMahon is director of the Oregon Department of Emergency Management. She came to the agency as a retired US Army Brigadier General, attorney, and combat veteran with twenty-four years of experience advising state and national leaders on emergent and active emergencies requiring operational and civilian support. As the first female Army National Guard General Officer in the Office of the General Counsel, she empowered a new generation of leaders to challenge cultural norms and work together to innovate and develop into high-performing teams. In her role as Principal Deputy General Counsel for the National Guard Bureau, McMahon guided the bureau chief through domestic disasters including hurricanes, wildfires, flooding, the COVID pandemic and the Capital Insurrection. She advised federal leaders on the 2021 Oregon wildfires when more than 1,000 fires burned at least 518,303 acres across the state. McMahon is a graduate of the University of Arizona, Lewis & Clark Law School, and US Army War College, as well as an MIT and Syracuse Fellow.
Tickets
Tickets will be available soon.
Other ways to participate
Can't make it in person? Tune in from anywhere! The conversation will be streamed live, for free, on our YouTube channel, and will remain available for viewing after the program.
About the Venue
- The space: This event will be held indoors at HQ in downtown La Grande.
- Parking: Free parking street is available in the area around the venue. There are curb cuts on all sidewalks in the area. There is offstreet disabled person parking one block away in the lot on Washington in between Dr. Loraine's and the Jiu Jitsu studio.
- Food and drink: There will be cookies and lemonade available. Outside food is allowed.
- Lighting: The venue is well-lit inside. Lights will be dimmed during the program.
- Video and Sound: The conversation will be projected on a large screen. The program will be amplified. There will be no loud music.
- Mobility access: HQ is wheelchair-accessible, including bathrooms.
- Questions: If you have questions about the venue, please contact lagrandehq@gmail.com.
Thanks to our sponsors
Consider This is made possible by funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Oregon Cultural Trust.
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