North Dakota VOAD’s Revival, Lead by Two UND Law Alumni, Caps off a Record Year of Extreme Weather Events

The North Dakota VOAD – Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster – has struggled with low capacity since the COVID-19 pandemic began. On December 16, 2025, a group of disaster relief nonprofit organizations, emergency managers, and state agencies met to revive the organization by voting in and installing new board officers.

VOAD is a national organization that serves as a convener, thought leader, and advocate for a diverse group of organizations dedicated to serving communities throughout the disaster cycle. The National VOAD provides support and guidance to affiliates in all 50 states and 6 U.S. territories. VOADs coordinate voluntary agency response to disasters including extreme weather events, public health emergencies, and human caused disasters like electrical fires or plumbing failures that result in large scale damage or injury. The purpose of a coordinating organization is to prevent duplication of relief services, ensure all types of relief needs are met, and provide information to individual non-profits that strengthen voluntary response to disasters.

In North Dakota, this is accomplished by working in partnership with the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services and the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services. Upon identification of a disaster, the State and VOAD will coordinate the response of voluntary organizations. “Voluntary organizations are an integral component to our state’s ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disaster events. The assistance they provide, whether it’s sheltering, feeding, assisting with donations, or providing voluntary labor, is extremely beneficial to our state, our communities, and most importantly, our residents. The ND Department of Emergency Services (NDDES) is excited to see the revival of the ND Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD), and we look forward to our continued partnership with the ND VOAD as we work to address disaster events into the future,” said NDDES’ Disaster Recovery Chief Justin Messner.

But North Dakota VOAD may also work with local governments, tribal governments, or without government direction in order to meet the needs of disaster survivors in the state. North Dakota VOAD aims to be an active responder to disaster events by increasing its capacity to provide guidance to disaster relief organizations. The goal is to connect disaster relief non-profits across the state to share resources and coordinate response, and provide disaster preparation and risk mitigation strategies to North Dakota communities. “We will do this by conducting outreach to disaster relief nonprofit organizations throughout the state, promoting cooperation and collaboration among the state’s disaster relief organizations, and improving communications and coordination with all disaster relief actors in the state,” says incoming Chair Marisa Sauceda, who graduated from UND Law in 2025. “North Dakota set multiple extreme weather records in 2025. VOAD’s services are essential to the well-being of North Dakotans, and we look forward to strengthening the state’s disaster safety net through our revival of VOAD.”

The organization’s Chair Emeritus, serving for over 5 years, is Paul Campbell of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. He will lead the transition for new board officers and ensure the organization is on stable footing before retiring. The new board officers are Jen Engquist of Lutheran Disaster Response as Secretary, Darla Schafer of United Church of Christ’s National Disaster Ministries as Treasurer, Shannon White of Legal Services of North Dakota and 2025 UND Law Grad as Vice Chair, Marisa Sauceda of Legal Services of North Dakota as Chair, and two members at large: Christopher Schenk of the American Red Cross and Patty Barrette of the North Dakota Lions Emergency Relief.

Non-profit organizations interested in VOAD membership and individuals interested in serving on the board of directors should contact VOAD Chair Marisa Sauceda at 701-340-1263 or msauceda@lsnd.org. Read more about the work VOADs do at: https://www.nvoad.org/