Douglas Venn was recently elected as the North Pacific Union disaster response coordinator. As an unsalaried volunteer, Venn is accountable to the officers of the North Pacific Union Conference (NPUC) and receives counsel and support from the NPUC disaster response coordination committee. Venn replaces Dennis Olson, who served for a three-year term.

Venn was born in Puyallup, Wash., spending much of his younger years in western Washington. After the death of his father, his mother married Frank Venn, a Presbyterian minister. He graduated from Spirit Lake High School in Idaho and then from Whitworth University in Spokane. He was active in football, music and the student newspaper. After graduation he joined the Peace Corps and served a term in Columbia, South America.

Throughout Venn's career in Washington State's civil service, he has been active in many aspects of disaster relief and has served on the board and as president of the Washington Voluntary Organization Active in Disaster.

Venn met his wife Maria while he was in the Peace Corps in Columbia. They have three adult children, Doug, Carolina and Carla.

"I look forward to working with all segments of the church, geographically, ethnically, politically and institutionally," Venn says. "If each household and individual is prepared, then they will be able to be a responder and not a victim of a disaster."