Portrait
Zoraya Oliver-Griffin: Leading Through Crisis and Building for the Future
by Pamela Workman
In a rapidly evolving world where emergencies can occur at any moment, strong leadership and strategic planning are critical to keeping communities safe. At the helm of LADWP’s emergency efforts is Zoraya Oliver-Griffin, who joined in November 2024 as the Chief Climate Resiliency and Emergency Management Officer. With a career spanning two decades in the energy industry, her background is a testament to adaptability, problem-solving, and the ability to lead in high pressure situations. Oliver-Griffin spoke with Intake and shared insights into her journey, her leadership during the January wildfire response, and her vision for the future of emergency management at LADWP.
INTAKE: Could you share a bit about your background and what led you to this role as Chief Climate Resiliency and Emergency Management Officer?
Oliver-Griffin: I joined LADWP with 20+ years of experience in the energy industry, primarily in joint investor-owned utilities. My background is quite diverse—I started in safety, transitioned into field operations in both electric and gas, moved into emergency operations, operations communications, wildfire mitigation and resiliency. I spent my last two years before LADWP focused on facility construction and joint venture management of the largest Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) facility in the United States, located in the Gulf Coast.
As I look back on my career, there are two common themes that tie all my experiences together. The first is that I’ve always been asked to develop something new and innovative, creating programs, structures, or initiatives from a blank slate. The second is that I’ve consistently been involved in emergency management in some form or fashion. I’ve always been drawn to high-pressure, dynamic environments where I can bring order and calm to situations surrounded by a high degree of uncertainty. As a child, I wanted to be an emergency room doctor—I thrived in fast-paced, crisis-driven settings. I’ve always been attracted to that element of crisis, while also helping people. But once I realized that blood and performing surgery wasn’t for me, I redirected my passion for emergency response to the utility sector. Over time, I found that my natural ability to remain calm in chaotic situations, be decisive, and encourage creative problem-solving while remaining focused on affected customers and communities, allowed me to excel in this field.
INTAKE: Why do you think this role is particularly important now?
Oliver-Griffin: Managing emergencies, by their very nature, can be chaotic; however, a robust Emergency Management Program provides timely and consistent collaboration, communication and coordination across the organization, and externally, when needed most. A comprehensive emergency management portfolio helps manage and mitigate the impacts of emergencies, ensures public safety and minimal service disruption to our operations, and ultimately our customers. This role offers the chance to create a wholly integrated emergency management portfolio across the three Systems, strengthening overall resiliency at LADWP. It’s an opportunity to build a utility-based model program to prepare for emergencies and major events, including supporting the city’s preparations for LA28, the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. That complex challenge excited me. At this stage in my career, it’s no longer about the titles—it’s about working under strong leadership and alongside other good leaders. I said yes to Janisse because of her vision, leadership, and the opportunity to shape and build something meaningful for the City of L.A.
INTAKE: How did your experience and leadership help guide LADWP’s response efforts during the January wildfires?
Oliver-Griffin: This was my sixth catastrophic wildfire response—five in Southern California and one internationally in Portugal. I’ve been battle-tested in crisis situations, and at this point, there’s not much that will surprise me or cause me to lose my footing. I leaned into my experience and the amazing responder teams and remained clear-headed and calm. I was confident that by bringing subject matter experts together, trusting each other’s expertise, and trusting our response structure, LADWP would deliver an effective response to employees, customers and the communities we serve. Despite my short tenure at LADWP, I had already met key personnel and quickly recognized the depth of their skill sets. I focused on creating a structured response framework and asked the team to trust the response process. In turn, they brought their subject matter expertise and deep commitment to the Department. That partnership is what made our response safe, timely and effective. I liken it to going to war together—we left our titles at the door and worked as one unit. Our mission was clear: protect our employees, safeguard our communities, and restore service as quickly and safely as possible.
INTAKE: What were the key lessons LADWP learned from the wildfire response? And in what areas did LADWP excel?
Oliver-Griffin: One of the biggest lessons was the critical importance of an integrated, structured response across all three Systems—Power, Water, and Joint. The high level of coordination allowed us to navigate some very challenging moments efficiently. Another key takeaway was the value of transparent, timely, and responsive communication. Our customers deserve clear explanations, even when the news isn’t what they want to hear. Being able to communicate complex operational decisions in a way the public can understand is essential. As for what we excelled at, I’ve been in this industry for over two decades, and I have never seen a utility response that transitioned to recovery as quickly as ours did. By day two or three, we were already strategizing restoration and recovery efforts while still managing the crisis. And we did it without a single safety incident—despite having Water and Power crews out in the field 24/7 for 21 days straight in an incredibly demanding and challenging environment. That’s an extraordinary accomplishment. Additionally, the wildfire underscored the deep interdependence between Water and Power. What started as a Power emergency quickly became a Water emergency, and we had to navigate both, simultaneously. Recognizing and planning for that interconnectivity is critical moving forward.
INTAKE: What is your vision for LADWP’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and the future of emergency management at the Department?
Oliver-Griffin: My vision is to build a state-of-the-art nationally recognized Emergency Operations Center—one that not only serves LADWP but can seamlessly integrate with other EOCs across Southern California. The goal is to be a model for how utilities can collaborate in real-time to enhance regional safety and disaster response. Beyond the new physical EOC, I aim to create a culture where emergency response becomes second nature—where our teams operate with such rhythm and confidence that, no matter the crisis, we are prepared, decisive, and effective. A mature emergency management program ensures that decisions are data-driven, not reactive. It fosters trust within the community, ensuring that our customers know LADWP will respond safely and effectively to any emergency. Ultimately, my goal is for LADWP to be recognized as a leader in emergency preparedness—not just in Los Angeles, but on a national scale. Emergency management is not easy work, it’s unpredictable, high-stakes, and often surrounded by uncertainty. It’s those characteristics that make it so important. We solve incredibly complex problems together, pushing boundaries, thinking creatively, and ensuring the safety and resilience of our communities.
