Pacific Disaster Center Receives Prestigious Award

Bali, Indonesia / Kihei, HI: The University of Hawaiʻi’s Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) was named laureate of the prestigious United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction during the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR) in Bali, Indonesia on May 25, 2022. “This award is given every three years to individuals or institutions that have made substantive impact in reducing disaster risk,” said Mami Mizutori, special representative of the secretary-general for disaster risk reduction, during the opening ceremony. The UN Sasakawa Award for 2022 focuses on “Building resilience through a multi-hazard approach.”

“Pacific Disaster Center is honored and humbled by the recognition we’ve received from the United Nations and our partners for our efforts to help create safer, more disaster-resilient communities,” said PDC Executive Director Ray Shirkhodai following the announcement. “We share this award with all like-minded, hard-working humanitarians with a passion for helping the vulnerable among us and reducing disaster risk to make life better for all citizens.”

“We proudly support PDC’s recognition under this year’s Sasakawa Award. For nearly two decades, ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) nations and the PDC have worked together to advance early-warning and disaster risk reduction science throughout Southeast Asia. PDC is a vital partner who has helped the AHA Centre (ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management) ensure the best science and technology are appropriately and effectively utilized to prepare for and respond to disasters throughout the region,” said AHA Centre Assistant Director for Disaster Monitoring and Analysis Lawrence Anthony Dimailig.

Dimailig said PDC’s DisasterAWARE platform and risk information serve as the foundation of the AHA Centre’s multi-hazard Disaster Monitoring and Response System, which is integral to the operational coordination of nearly every major disaster event in the region.

Silicon Valley Marketing Leader Michelle Cipriano joins DisasterAWARE Enterprise

DisasterAWARE Enterprise, a worldwide cloud-based SaaS risk intelligence platform for monitoring global hazards, is proud to announce Michelle Cipriano has agreed to become chief marketing officer of the parent corporation, Tenefit, based in San Jose, CA.

Ms. Cipriano has extensive experience in marketing and management for high technology companies and is a recognized leader with proven experience in building strong, high-performance teams with global reach. She begins the post on October the 18th.

“Michelle brings to DisasterAWARE Enterprise world-class expertise in SaaS marketing and technology. She will be instrumental in supporting the planned expansion of the company’s international footprint in the coming months and years,” said Tenefit Chief Executive Officer Bob Miller. “We are excited to add her to our growing team of innovators and experts at DisasterAWARE Enterprise. The online platform is the major source of comprehensive early-warning disaster intelligence technology leveraging big data analytics to examine and uncover hidden patterns, correlations, and other insights to predict risks.”

Ms. Cipriano said she is excited to join DisasterAWARE Enterprise. “I am looking forward to helping build on their leadership and success delivering predictive risk management solutions in this rapidly expanding market,” she said.

Ms. Cipriano has served as vice president of marketing for several Silicon Valley software and technology companies, including NetEnrich, OpSource, and Yosemite Technologies, both in San Jose. In 2010 she founded her own marketing agency, Demand by Design with an emphasis on high tech clients, and served as its principal for the last 11 years.

DisasterAWARE Enterprise delivers unrivaled near real-time alerts from disasters as they unfold from around the globe, including volcanoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, and wildfires. The platform provides private enterprise and government entities, both large and small, support for their risk management decisions and business continuity planning.