Drew Downing is Director of Outreach & Mission Fulfillment at the Disque Foundation where he helps strengthen operations and builds partnerships that empower people to save lives.
After spending nearly a decade in public health and disaster response, Drew knows the value of partnerships and bringing organizations together under a common mission. Previously as the Department of Homeland Security BioWatch Advisory Committee Chair in Orange County, Drew helped forge local, state and federal agencies’ weapons of mass destruction preparedness and response efforts. Drew has helped lead local health departments’ responses to public health emergencies ranging from infectious disease to wildfires as the Health Disaster Manager at Orange County Health Care Agency (CA) and Columbus Public Health (OH). His work in public health has also seen him lead the Orange County Medical Reserve Corps, a medical disaster volunteer program that recruits, trains and deploys physicians, nurses and pharmacists to public health emergencies. Additionally, Drew has worked with hospitals and other healthcare facilities to help strengthen their preparedness and response efforts for a variety of hazards.
Drew holds a Master of Public Health from the Northwest Ohio Consortium for Public Health and a Bachelor’s of Psychology from The Ohio State University. In his free time, he enjoys surfing near his home in Capistrano Beach, CA.