Supervisor Keith Carson Honors Public Safety Trailblazers for Women's History Month

Three East Bay women were honored on Wednesday, March 28, for breaking through the glass ceiling into leadership positions in public safety, a field still largely dominated by men.

At the “Women’s History Trailblazers” event in Oakland, honored three individuals who are the first women to hold their current positions. The awardees were Nancy O’Malley, Alameda County District Attorney; Debra Pryor, Chief of the Berkeley Fire Department; and Teresa Deloach Reed, Chief of the Oakland Fire Department.

“I am humbled by the courage and perseverance of these three women, who have made both local and national history,” Supervisor Carson said. “They have chosen not only to serve the public but also to protect our communities.”

Nancy E. O’Malley is the first woman to hold the position of District Attorney in Alameda County, making her the top law enforcement officer in the County. The Board of Supervisors appointed her in 2009 and then she won election in 2010.  

Throughout her 25 years as a prosecutor, Ms. O’Malley has been a strong advocate on behalf of victims of crime. She is a nationally recognized expert on the advancement of victim’s rights. She led the creation of the Alameda County Family Justice Center, a one-stop shop for victims of family violence, sexual assault, elder abuse and child abuse. The center has become a national model for efficient, comprehensive and collaborative delivery of victims’ services. Ms. O’Malley has been a key player in the County’s implementation of the Governor’s realignment of public safety services from the state to local level. 

The other two honorees were the fire chiefs of Berkeley and Oakland. As of 2010, less than 4 percent of U.S. firefighters were women, and just over 6 percent were black, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Debra Pryor was the first woman hired by the Berkeley Fire Department more than 19 years ago, and in 2004 she became the department’s first female fire chief. Chief Pryor oversees an organization of more than 140 women and men who respond to approximately 12,000 calls per year. She is one of only three female fire chiefs in California, the second African American fire chief in the country, and one of just 21 female fire chiefs nationwide.

Teresa Deloach Reed is the first woman to be named chief in the 142-year history of the Oakland Fire Department. She also is the nation’s first African-American woman to lead a large metropolitan fire department. Chief Deloach-Reed worked in San Jose’s fire department for nearly 25 years before coming to Oakland. Chief Deloach-Reed has received the NAACP Henry Gage Senior “Excellence in Leadership”  award, the IABPFF Black Chief Officers Committee “Metro Lifetime Achievement” Award and the Martin Luther King Association’s “Public Safety and Service” Award.

The event, which took place at the woman-owned Vessel Gallery in Oakland, was co-hosted by Black Women Organized for Political Action, the National Coalition of 100 Black Women – Oakland Bay Area Chapter, and the National Women’s Political Caucus – Alameda North.