Andy VanSciver. Courtesy photo.
NEW ORLEANS — Andy VanSciver, a firefighter and public information officer for the Ventura County (California) Fire Department, was honored as the 2024 Communicator of the Year by the National Association of Government Communicators (NAGC) at the Association’s annual Communications School today in New Orleans.
The Communicator of the Year Award is NAGC’s highest honor.
“Andy VanSciver demonstrates a commitment to excellence in government communications that NAGC advocates, promotes and recognizes,” NAGC President Tabitha Clark said. “We hope his example will encourage others to enhance communications with the communities they serve.”
VanSciver was selected from a nationwide pool of nominees from all levels of government, including local health departments, state agencies and the U.S. Department of Defense.
He was credited with his work supporting community response and recovery from the deadly wildfire on the island of Maui in Hawaii and the historic snowfall in Mammoth Lakes, California.
In addition to his duties with the Ventura County Fire Department, VanSciver serves as a lead public information officer on a CalFire incident management team. He was deployed as part of that team to both incidents, which drew international media attention.
In Maui, VanSciver helped establish a joint information center, provided daily briefings to a large pool of international journalists, shared messaging on 11 sandwich boards, and supported Maui Mayor Richard Bissen Jr. in preparation for daily video responses where residents could ask questions.
His work was so effective that Mayor Bissen specifically requested him to come back for two additional deployments.
Finally, VanSciver found a creative solution for the County of Maui’s need to share messaging with island visitors to avoid visiting the devastation in Lahaina, which was a sore spot for residents. Andy worked with Costco – which many tourists make their first stop after arrival – to share video messaging. The store played the video on a loop on all the display TVs at the front of the store.
Thousands of visitors saw the messaging, the “disaster tourism” declined and residents’ satisfaction with the county’s response improved.
“Andy also advocated strongly for creating an outreach team, which we dubbed the ‘K?kua Crew,’ whose members visited hotel shelters and met personally with survivors to share information and provide assistance,” Bissen wrote in support of VanSciver’s nomination. “He is a leader in his field, and through his work, he has supported our entire community in our time of need.”
About NAGC: NAGC was founded in 1976 to advance communication as an essential professional resource at every level of local, state, tribal and national government. It is dedicated to providing opportunities for individual professional development and career advancement, enhancing effective communication with constituents, and advancing the profession of government communication. Learn more at NAGC.com