STAFF

Christopher Revere, Executive Director

Christopher Revere became Executive Director of the National Commission on Children and Disasters in January 2009. In this capacity, he is the principal liaison of the Commission to federal, state, Tribal and local officials and non-governmental organizations. He manages the resources and guides the work of the Commission to ensure that it fulfills requirements under federal law. Prior to joining the Commission, Mr. Revere spent over 10 years as a public policy advocate, primarily representing non-profit organizations before federal and state government. Mr. Revere earned his Master of Public Administration degree from the Nelson A. Rockefeller School of Public Policy (Albany, NY) and his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Hobart College (Geneva, NY).

Pamela Carter-Birken, Executive Deputy Director

Pam Carter-Birken became Executive Deputy Director of the National Commission on Children and Disasters in December 2009.  She is the alternate designated federal officer for the Commission.  Pam comes to the Commission from the Administration for Children and Families, where she has served as the deputy director of public affairs and as a senior advisor in the Office of the Assistant Secretary.  Previously, she worked in the Pentagon as the chief of policy for the Army’s Office of Public Affairs.  Pam has a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a master’s degree in liberal studies from Georgetown University. 

CAPT Juliana Sadovich, Designated Federal Officer

CAPT Juliana Sadovich serves as the Designated Federal Officer for the National Commission on Children and Disasters and as such, chairs all meetings and approves all meeting agendas. She is also responsible for advisory committee procedures of the agency and federal register notices and inquiries. In addition to her Commission duties, CAPT Sadovich is the Director of the Office of Human Services Emergency Preparedness and Response, Administration for Children and Families (ACF). Prior to joining the ACF, she served at the Department of Homeland Security. One of her jobs at DHS was Director of Emergency Management and Medical Response Integration, Office of Medical Readiness in the Office of Health Affairs. CAPT Sadovich holds a Doctorate in Human Services with a specialty in Health Care Administration from Capella University and a Masters Degree in Nursing with and Education certificate from George Mason University. In addition, she has completed the Joint, Interagency, and Multinational Planner’s course, the Joint Operations Medical Managers course, the Homeland Security Medical Executive program and has received the National Emergency Preparedness Award.

Randall Gnatt, Policy Director

Randall Gnatt, Policy Director, joined the National Commission on Children and Disasters in April 2009. As Policy Director, Mr. Gnatt leads the Commission’s development of policy recommendations and initiatives and provides oversight to the Commission’s broad research agenda. Prior to joining the Commission, Mr. Gnatt, an attorney, practiced law in New Orleans, specializing in a range of civil litigation. He has also served as a policy intern in the Office of U.S. Senator Robert Menendez. Mr. Gnatt earned his Juris Doctorate degree from Tulane Law School and his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Tulane University. While a resident of New Orleans, Mr. Gnatt was involved with various charitable organizations serving children and youth, including Big Brother Big Sister, New Orleans Outreach and CASA New Orleans.

Frank Valliere, Policy Specialist

Frank Valliere joined the National Commission on Children and Disasters in August 2009 as a Policy Specialist. In this capacity, Mr. Valliere analyzes policy, legislation, regulations, and academic literature relevant to the Commission’s focus. Prior to joining the Commission, Mr. Valliere worked with the Henry L. Stimson Center, where he focused on international security and nuclear disarmament, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies, where he focused on homeland security and terrorism preparedness, response and recovery. Mr. Valliere earned his Master of Arts degree in Forensic Psychology from the City University of New York’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice (New York, NY) and his Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Florida (Gainesville, FL).

Yasmine Pezeshkpour, Communications Specialist

Yasmine Pezeshkpour joined the National Commission on Children and Disasters in September 2010 as Communications Specialist. She is responsible for implementing public relations initiatives and disseminating targeted news and media to the commission’s stakeholders and partnering associations. Prior to joining the Commission, Ms. Pezeshkpour served as Publicity Assistant at Discovery Communications, where she specialized in internal and external outreach efforts. Ms. Pezeshkpour earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communication from Towson State University (Towson, MD).

Jacqueline Officer, Executive Assistant

Jacqueline Officer became the Executive Assistant of the National Commission on Children and Disasters in March 2009. She serves as office manager and provides administrative support to the Commissioners, Subcommittee members and Commission staff. For 13 years, Ms. Officer was responsible for site surveys, contract negotiation, and network design and implementation as a Business Development Manager for Sabre Travel Information Network. Prior to joining the Commission, she spent over 6 years serving as a Principal for a family-owned affordable housing real estate development company. Ms. Officer earned her Bachelors degree in Computer Networking from Strayer University (Alexandria, VA).