Rachel Hollinger
Rachel Hollinger is the City of Murrieta Disaster Preparedness Coordinator, an accomplished Emergency Manager and organizational leader with 15 years of service in the United States Air Force Reserve and extensive experience in local government emergency management. She currently serves in this role while continuing her military service as a reservist. She began her career path with an early interest in law enforcement and enrolled in Homeland Security and Emergency Management studies; however, when a hiring freeze impacted her intended law enforcement entry point, she joined the U.S. Air Force. Recognizing her academic focus and potential, the Air Force guided her into the emergency management field—launching a career dedicated to public safety, crisis response, and community resilience.
In her current role, Rachel oversees all aspects of emergency planning and preparedness. She manages Emergency Operations Center (EOC) activations during large-scale incidents, serves as the city’s alert and warning administrator, and trains all city personnel in the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS). She also coordinates closely with fire and police departments to ensure unified operational response during emergencies. As one of the city’s first full-time emergency managers, she has been instrumental in building the emergency management program from the ground up, including developing public education initiatives such as water safety campaigns and large animal evacuation planning, as well as establishing a 24/7 in-house alert and warning system.
Rachel’s professional impact extends beyond her jurisdiction through thought leadership and statewide engagement. She has been featured in a business continuity journal for her work on active shooter response utilizing the Emergency Operations Center and has presented at conferences on best practices for EOC activation during active shooter incidents. In addition to her operational expertise, she serves as Mentorship Chair for the California Emergency Services Association, where she connects emerging professionals with experienced leaders in the field, helping to strengthen the future workforce of emergency management.
Throughout her career, Rachel has built a reputation for leadership development, innovation, and service-driven problem solving. She is passionate about mentoring others, advancing emergency management practices, and strengthening interagency coordination to better protect communities. Outside of her professional responsibilities, she is a dedicated mother of three who values family, personal growth, and lifelong learning through continued education and professional networking. Looking ahead, she remains committed to advancing in both her military and civilian careers while continuing to develop future leaders in emergency services.
• Amateur Radio Technician Class License
• Student Success Mentor Training
• California State University, Long Beach - MBA
• The University of Arizona Global Campus - BS-HSEM
• Community College of the Air Force - AAS in Emergency Management
• California Emergency Services Association Southern Chapter Silver Star Award
• Distinguished Graduate from Non-Commissioned Officer Academy
• Air and Space Commendation Medal
• Air Force Humanitarian Service Medal
• Air Force Commendation Medal
• Wing Category II Civilan of the year
• Elite Engineer Award
• Wing Category II Civilian of the quarter
• Air Force Achievement Medal
• Airman of the Year Nominee
• Kevin L. White Memorial Scholarship Award
• Air Reserve Force Meritorious Service Medal
• Distinguished Graduate
• Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal
• Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal
• California Emergency Services Association
• San Diego Habitat for Humanity
• The Salvation Army
• California State University, Long Beach
What do you attribute your success to?
I would say the biggest thing is to keep putting one foot in front of the other and take it day by day. In your career and in emergency management, there's so many different pathways and avenues you can go down, and when you're early on in your career, it can be overwhelming. So instead of just looking at the whole concept of wow, I have so much to learn, and that almost becoming debilitating, just take a little bit at a time. I'm also grateful for the strong mentorship I've received. My first military supervisor, Master Sergeant Heidi Schneider, really set the tone. She was hard, she was tough, but I'm grateful for it because it made me better. She was very critical on professionalism, how emails should be written, how we're expected to behave in the military structure. Even though her and I butt heads a lot in the beginning, when I took that and moved on to the next place, it really helped set me apart. I think professionalism in the military is viewed as a necessity, and it's a necessity for leaders. Senior Master Sergeant Martio also took me under his wing when I was a Staff Sergeant in charge of an entire shop. He taught me how to develop exercises, how to develop training programs, and just made me a better leader in the techniques that I manage my staff. I feel fortunate that I moved along in my military career at a really good pace, making Master Sergeant within 10 years, which was sort of on a fast track. Had it not been for mentors like them setting that pace and setting the expectations and the standard, it probably would have taken me a little longer.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Rachel identified Master Sergeant Heidi Schneider and Senior Master Sergeant Markio as two highly influential mentors in her career. She credits them with teaching her professionalism, leadership skills, communication standards, and how to effectively lead and manage teams.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say the biggest thing you could do is keep putting one foot in front of the other and take it day by day. In your career and in emergency management, there's so many different pathways and avenues you can go down, and when you're early on in your career, it can kind of be overwhelming. So instead of just looking at the whole concept of wow, I have so much to learn, and that almost becoming debilitating of like I don't know if I can handle all this, just take a little bit at a time. I would also say as a woman, when we're working in emergency services, sometimes it can be male-dominant. We're working with fire and police, and I have that experience with the military too. It's very male-dominated industries. At times, you're going to feel like your opinion or your voice isn't being heard, but it's still important to keep advocating for your programs, for what you believe, and just working through it. Eventually, if you keep gnawing at it long enough, you'll get there. It's a long pathway to feel like you're finally breaking ground, but just keep working at it, keep putting one foot in front of the other. Keep getting your educations and your trainings, participate, build your network. Participate with, if other cities have an incident going on, call them up, ask if you could just be an observer just to learn more about how different places are handling different incidents. And yeah, don't get discouraged. There's gonna be negatives, there's gonna be setbacks, but keep working at it, remain positive, and don't be afraid to speak up.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Rachel believes one of the biggest challenges in emergency management is navigating the demands and pressures of a high-responsibility, male-dominated field while balancing rapidly evolving emergencies and public expectations. However, she sees tremendous opportunity in leadership development, interagency collaboration, technology-driven emergency systems, and expanding community preparedness programs that better support vulnerable populations.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Rachel values service, leadership, resilience, preparedness, and integrity. She is passionate about protecting communities, mentoring others, and leading with professionalism and accountability while balancing the responsibilities of career and family life.