Hi Art delaCruz here from Team Rubicon. What questions do you have about TR's relief efforts surrounding the recent natural disasters?

CDR Art delaCruz — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 14:42:28 -0400

*RallyPoint Staff will be monitoring this discussion*

From RP Staff:
We are honored to welcome Art delaCruz here on RallyPoint for a live Q&A. Art is Chief Operating Officer for Team Rubicon, the only non-proﬁt disaster response organization that utilizes the skills of military veterans to rapidly deploy emergency response teams. In giving veterans an opportunity to continue their service, Team Rubicon provides them with a sense of purpose, community and identity. Since the organization’s founding in 2010 following the massive Haiti earthquake, Team Rubicon has responded to over 200 disasters and grown from eight to 65,000 volunteer members. Team Rubicon has responded most recently to Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.

A retired U.S. Naval Officer, Art served as Director of Strategic Planning at Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems prior to Team Rubicon. He was responsible for coordinating sector strategy development; developing and analyzing strategic growth initiatives; and overseeing the long-range strategic planning process. Art served in the U.S. Navy for 22 years with notable tours including serving as an instructor at the Navy Fighter Weapons School (Topgun) and as the Commanding Officer of Strike Fighter Squadron TWO TWO (VFA-22). During his career, he made six deployments as an F-14 and F/A-18 Naval Flight Officer. In 2010, he was one of 12 senior Department of Defense (DoD) officers selected as a Secretary of Defense Corporate Fellow, a program that places officers in leading companies to glean best practices that may be applicable in DoD. In this capacity, he was trained by and served with McKinsey & Co. In his final military assignment, Art served as the Deputy of Strategic Policy, and as Systems Innovation Lead at the U.S. Special Operations Command. Art earned his Bachelor’s degree in physics from the US Naval Academy and a Master’s degree in operations management from the University of Arkansas.

Response by CPT David Gowel made Oct 12 at 2017 3:03 PM

CPT David Gowel — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 15:03:14 -0400

CDR Art delaCruz Thanks for joining us on RallyPoint. What can our community do to help with all the hurricane efforts you have underway?

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Oct 12 at 2017 3:13 PM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 15:13:00 -0400

No questions, just a big thank you for what you do for the veterans.

Response by SPC Margaret Higgins made Oct 12 at 2017 8:33 PM

SPC Margaret Higgins — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 20:33:04 -0400

CDR Art delaCruz; WELCOME TO RALLY POINT, COMMANDER! No questions, Sir. JUST, IT'S A GREAT, GREAT HONOR TO HAVE YOU WITH US.
MAY GOD ETERNALLY AND INFINITELY BLESS YOU AND YOURS, COMMANDER-
Margaret C. Higgins U.S. Army Retired

Response by A1C Dustin DeMoss made Oct 12 at 2017 10:56 PM

A1C Dustin DeMoss — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 22:56:31 -0400

Thanks for what you do, buddy. Appreciate it.

Response by SGT Shannon Ritzert made Oct 13 at 2017 1:14 AM

SGT Shannon Ritzert — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 01:14:28 -0400

As a Vet who is a RN how would the disaster relief work? Would love to know more. Welcome!

Response by CPT Aaron Kletzing made Oct 13 at 2017 9:44 AM

CPT Aaron Kletzing — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 09:44:26 -0400

Can you give us some insights into how you support (e.g., food, medical, other) Team Rubicon team members who go to disaster areas, and may not otherwise have access to these things? For example, let's say TR sends a team to Houston after the hurricane. What kinds of support infrastructure does TR try to have in place to help support the teams on the ground there? I have always been curious about that. Thank you for everything your great organization does to help others and make the world a better place.

Response by AN Christopher Crayne made Oct 13 at 2017 11:31 AM

AN Christopher Crayne — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 11:31:00 -0400

Thank you for your service and support. CDR Art delaCruz . God Bless!

Response by COL Mikel J. Burroughs made Oct 13 at 2017 4:29 PM

COL Mikel J. Burroughs — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 16:29:54 -0400

RALLYPOINT CONTINUES TO BRING THE VERY BEST IN HONORED GUEST TO ITS MEMBERS!

RP MEMBERS AND CONNECTIONS - PLEASE JOIN IN ON THE RALLYPOINT LIVE Q&A WITH CDR Art delaCruz TUESDAY, 17 OCTOBER 2017.

WHAT A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO ASK CDR ART DELACRUZ THE REALLY GOOD QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS ROLE AS THE CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AT TEAM RUBICON, THE ONLY NON-PROFIT DISASTER RESPONSE ORGANIZATION THAT UTILIZES THE SKILLS OF MILITARY VETERANS TO RAPIDLY DEPLOY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAMS.

Team Rubicon provides them with a sense of purpose, community and identity. Since the organization’s founding in 2010 following the massive Haiti earthquake, Team Rubicon has responded to over 200 disasters and grown from eight to 65,000 volunteer members. Team Rubicon has responded most recently to Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.

POST YOUR QUESTIONS FOR CDR ART DELACRUZ IN ADVANCE ON TOPICS ABOUT THE TEAM RUBICON MISSION, HIS MILITARY EXPERIENCE, AND LEADERSHIP IN GENERAL.

PLEASE POST YOUR QUESTION TODAY:

https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/hi-art-delacruz-here-from-team-rubicon-i-ll-be-by-on-tuesday-for-a-live-q-a-what-questions-do-you-have-for-me

THE RALLYPOINT FORUM CONTINUES TO PROVIDE THESE GREAT OPPORTUNITIES TO ALL OF OUR VETERANS, SERVICE MEMBERS, RETIREES, CIVILIAN RECRUITERS, CIVILIAN SUPPORTERS, AND MILITARY FAMILY MEMBERS TO REACH OUT & ASK QUESTIONS TO FORMER SERVICE MEMBERS AND LEADERS OF OUR COUNTRY.

YOUR GREAT PARTICIPATION IS WELCOME, APPRECIATED, AND NEEDED TO KEEP THIS TYPE OF FORUM MOVING FORWARD.

THANKS FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!

Hi Art delaCruz here from Team Rubicon. I'll be by on Tuesday for a live Q&A. What questions do...

Response by COL Mikel J. Burroughs made Oct 13 at 2017 4:39 PM

COL Mikel J. Burroughs — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 16:39:51 -0400

CDR Art delaCruz Thanks for being here on RallyPoint and thanks for your service to this country. It goes without saying, thank you for you continued service even after retirement.

Two Questions -

1. Where does the majority of your funding come from for operations? Is it mostly donors or are you getting grant money for disaster relief?

2. What type of Veteran Organizations do you partner with in the non-profit space and what is the process you go through to vet those non-profit organizations?

Thanks,

Mikel J. Burroughs
Colonel (Retired)
Chairman, Board of Directors
Victory for Veterans/Veterans March on America
VFV Web: http://www.VictoryForVeterans.org

Home

VictoryFor Veterans Finding our Voice. Uniting our Fight. Our Country has had entire generations of forgotten veterans It's time to put an end

Response by Mark Heick made Oct 13 at 2017 8:17 PM

Mark Heick — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 20:17:24 -0400

CDR Art delaCruz thank you for your Service and thank you for agreeing to a Q&A on RallyPoint. Its great to see the hard work and assistance that Team Rubicon provides not only in this country but around the globe.

Response by Sgt Albert Castro made Oct 13 at 2017 8:44 PM

Sgt Albert Castro — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 20:44:52 -0400

Thank you for your service to the country CDR Art dela CRUZ. Does Team Rubicon look for people with special skills as their volunteers or what are your teams requirements for those that may want to volunteer. And lastly, do you have an office or a branch in Texas? Good luck in your future endeavors Sir.

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Oct 14 at 2017 2:17 AM

LTC Stephen F. — Sat, 14 Oct 2017 02:17:29 -0400

Thanks CDR Art delaCruz for taking the time to respond to questions on this network.
Thanks for alerting us COL Mikel J. Burroughs
Background: I have long supported Samaritan's Purse, Feed the Children and other ministries which provide support to those who are facing disasters large and small.
When I attended the Special Operations Conference om September 11, 2002 the Fairfax, Va special teams which respond to disasters anywhere on earth was on hand.
I well remember Wayne Downing before he was SOCOM Commander and Joe Votel and Raymond Tony Thomas are old friends of mine.
FEMA is a contracting agency and the Federal government is ill-suited to quickly and efficiently weather-related disasters.
1. As the CEO of Team Rubicon, what criteria do you use to determine which disasters to respond to?
2. For those interested in volunteering to assist Team Rubicon, what skill sets are you looking for and how should somebody who is interested apply.

Response by SSgt Jeffrey Long made Oct 14 at 2017 1:49 PM

SSgt Jeffrey Long — Sat, 14 Oct 2017 13:49:17 -0400

How long does it take to get verified? I submitted a photo of my VA Id card over a week ago..... No response!

Response by Deborah Gregson made Oct 14 at 2017 11:09 PM

Deborah Gregson — Sat, 14 Oct 2017 23:09:33 -0400

Thank you, CDR Art delaCruz, for your service before and after "retirement". I think most of the questions I had have been asked although I'd like to know how a community requests that your group be deployed to their disaster. My family lives in Northern California and I haven't heard of Team Rubicon being mentioned there as one of the response groups. Do you offer to go to a location or does a community request your response? I appreciate greatly the work your team does for so many people during their time of need.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 15 at 2017 2:00 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 15 Oct 2017 02:00:37 -0400

Sir, your military bio blows me away! I don't know where to begin? Ok, I heard they are going to make the movie Midway that will be a 1942 version of TOPGUN by the people who made Dunkirk. I hope they ask for your help in the production to make sure it does not become a chick-flick and ruined like they did the movie Pearl Harbor with the love triangle between the main two male actors. I hope you can be the military liaison and make the movie a great one!

Response by CH (CPT) James L. Machado Workman made Oct 15 at 2017 10:31 AM

CH (CPT) James L. Machado Workman — Sun, 15 Oct 2017 10:31:57 -0400

Two quick questions:

1) What time is the Q & A on Tuesday?

2) I hope this question isn’t too redundant but is there a need for mental health professionals with crisis response training and experience?

Response by Maj Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 16 at 2017 6:36 PM

Maj Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 18:36:12 -0400

Thanks for taking time to engage on RallyPoint! After volunteering with TR in Sept in TX, I noticed the huge influx of organizations donating to TR and looking to TR to fill the gap. Are their plans for TR to hire additional employees to maintain homeostasis with the added demand?

Response by SSgt Sean Horgan made Oct 17 at 2017 10:36 AM

SSgt Sean Horgan — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 10:36:18 -0400

Thanks for taking questions Art! I spent a week with TR in Beaumont (9/30 => 10/7) as part of the Boston charter flight. I'm super impressed with how the organization has evolved over the last few years. Ops on the ground were pretty well organized and executed. Having said that, it feels like Texas could use 100x the help. Given that there are 20M+ living veterans (1.6M in Texas), what are the biggest constraints stopping Team Rubicon from deploying orders of magnitude more people?

Response by SSgt Sean Horgan made Oct 17 at 2017 10:36 AM

SSgt Sean Horgan — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 10:36:51 -0400

Not a question but I wanted to mention how great it is to see the data and commitment to transparency in the Open Initiative: https://teamrubiconusa.org/open

Open Initiative | Team Rubicon

Open Initiative on Team Rubicon

Response by MAJ Tom Hutton made Oct 17 at 2017 11:18 AM

MAJ Tom Hutton — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 11:18:46 -0400

Thanks CDR Art delaCruz for jumping on Rally Point for this Q&A! I've just completed my first out of Region mission and truly enjoyed my time in Beaumont. I had the feeling that there were more kick ass civilians "with applicable skills" than vets and first responders in our deployment wave. Can you tell me how TR is doing with recruitment among those populations? Has there been a shift to broaden the organization's membership?

Response by SSgt Timothy Prevost made Oct 17 at 2017 2:31 PM

SSgt Timothy Prevost — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 14:31:16 -0400

CDR Art delaCruz Thanks for coming on. How is TR working to help aid the victims of the California wild fires? Is this different than any other disaster TR has faced before?

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 17 at 2017 3:07 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 15:07:21 -0400

How would one go about joining Team Rubicon?

Response by MAJ Tom Hutton made Oct 17 at 2017 3:19 PM

MAJ Tom Hutton — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 15:19:19 -0400

CDR Art delaCruz here is another one: What other initiatives are in the works to broaden the scope of what TR does in the field? I was down in Beaumont on Op Hard Hustle and the mold remediation teams were coming on line. Anything else in the works that you can share?

Response by SGT Daniel Hagerty made Oct 17 at 2017 5:23 PM

SGT Daniel Hagerty — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 17:23:56 -0400

Good afternoon CDR delaCruz. I see SGT Ritzert asked about medical teams and setting up a medical clinic. What time commitment do you need for deploying medical teams? Also how much warning do teams have prior to a deployment? Do you attach with local providers or do you have your own within the team? I am a nurse practitioner who works in emergency medicine and would be willing to deploy if able to get coverage for my time away. Thanks for your time sir.

Response by SPC Byron Skinner made Jan 14 at 2018 9:04 PM

SPC Byron Skinner — Sun, 14 Jan 2018 21:04:18 -0500

Sp4 Byron Skinner The Humanitarian Mission is extremely important, like it or not at sometime in the not so distant future American soldiers will be in the waters around or on the ground on combat missions. If the people who you are having to deal with in uncomfortable situations have seen the caring underside of the US war machine maybe a few more soldiers and sailors will come home. Only short sighted car rests who could give a sh— about the guys and gals behind them and think only of their own post service income could possibly short sight these critical missions that build good will.