As a member of Governor Bob Riley’s Senior Staff, Sydney Hoffman serves as Director of The Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (GFBCI). She has been tasked with continued implementation of the Faith-Based Initiative for the State of Alabama within an office that combines the Faith-Based Initiative and existing citizen service programs such as AmeriCorps and Citizen Corps.  Governor Riley's innovative approach has been acknowledged by the White House as a model for other states, while Alabama AmeriCorps and Citizen Corps have been recognized nationally and internationally, respectively.

Currently Sydney serves as Chair of the Governor’s Faith-Based Advisory Board, Chair of the Governor’s Interagency Council on Homelessness, Vice Chair of the Alabama Citizen Corps Council and member of the Alabama Homeland Security Task Force.  She was Governor Riley’s 2007 nominee to the National Governor’s Association for “Citizen of the Year” based on her leadership and innovation in training Alabama’s citizens to prepare, prevent, and respond to any natural or man-made disaster.  Additionally, Ms. Hoffman is a graduate of the Executive Leaders Program through the Center for Homeland Defense & Security at the Naval Postgraduate School.  Her attendance marked the first time a proponent was selected with an exclusive background in citizen preparedness.

Ms. Hoffman is the primary proponent for Alabama’s citizen preparedness initiative which is implemented via a multifaceted approach through the Be Ready Alabama campaign (www.ReadyAlabama.org).  This campaign is recognized by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as a template and promising practice for citizen preparedness.  Sydney oversees the administration of the program through partnerships with state and local governments as well as nongovernmental entities such as businesses and faith and community-based organizations.  Alabama’s Be Ready Camp, one facet of the Be Ready Alabama campaign, is an example of that determined effort to prepare now and also build a foundation for the future.  It is through these efforts that Be Ready Alabama has become a tool which is examined and implemented by various agencies and governments around the world.

Sydney’s previous experience includes leading the Alabama Citizen Corps Program, a citizen preparedness initiative of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, for the GFBCI.  As Director of Citizen Corps, she managed all Homeland Security and Emergency Management community initiatives and served as the liaison to the Alabama Department of Homeland Security and Alabama Emergency Management Agency.  Sydney also served as the Volunteer and Donations Coordinator for Alabama during Hurricane Katrina and has an accomplished record of volunteer recruitment, management, and team building in both private and public organizations.

Her interest in citizen service began when she observed that the most effective and lasting change usually began at the grassroots level by people directly impacted by their work. Sydney believes the most effective way to meet critical local, state and national needs is to partner government, private, and nonprofit resources with individuals and groups at the local level since local stakeholders have the ability to craft solutions uniquely tailored to their community.

A native of Alabama, she is a graduate of Birmingham-Southern College and holds degrees in biology and nursing.  Sydney can be reached at info@ServeAlabama.gov.