Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley Appoints Cassandra Libal as Director of the Office of Emergency Management

MILWAUKEE – Today, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley announced the appointment of Cassandra Libal as Director of the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) following the resignation of Christine Westrich earlier this year.

“I’m thrilled to announce the appointment of Cassandra Libal as the Director of the Office of Emergency Management,” said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. “Cassandra is a dedicated public servant who brings critical expertise in crisis management and community relations. Her experience and leadership is critical as we continue to aim to navigate the pandemic and chart a course towards achieving our goals to achieve racial equity.”

Cassandra Libal currently serves at the Deputy Director of the Office of Emergency Management for Milwaukee County. She previously served more than 25 years with the Milwaukee Police Department, where she rose through the ranks, most notably serving as Captain and commander of the office of community outreach and education.

As a Lieutenant of Police, she served as the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Coordinator, where she oversaw the Department’s specialized training in officer’s wellness, mental health awareness, and de-escalation. She also oversaw the Crisis Assessment Response Team and served as the Homeless Outreach Team Coordinator.  Libal has worked tirelessly to build positive relationships with community partners such as 100 Black Women—Milwaukee, Milwaukee Downtown BID 21, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness—Greater Milwaukee, all of which have formally recognized her hard work and dedication.

“OEM has led the way in overhauling our emergency response systems for Milwaukee County since its inception. From coordinating radio and 911 response systems to creating a unified an emergency operations center to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve led the way in collaborative emergency preparations,” said Libal. “Healthy residents are safe residents, and I look forward to working with our capable, confident, and talented team here at OEM to continue to navigate the public health crisis and help keep county residents safe.”

Cassandra Libal’s appointment is subject to County Board confirmation to be scheduled in September. Her confirmation would continue a significant shift in representation of County leadership. Should the County Board confirm our recommendations next cycle, 46 percent of Milwaukee County department heads would be women and over half of department heads would be African-American – up from 31 percent when County Executive Crowley was sworn-in in May.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.