The idea for Restore Education After Disasters (READ) is the brainchild of Craig and Gavin Floyd. While driving to return Gavin to college in Alabama in the summer of 2018, they heard a radio interview in which Kenny Chesney was discussing his nonprofit “Love for Love City,” which he formed to rebuild the US Virgin Islands after Hurricane Irma destroyed the region. This resonated with Craig as a way to give back after his experiences in recovering from the Thomas Fire. The Thomas Fire in December 2017, at the time it was the largest fire in California history, destroyed half of the school campus, which Craig attended and currently worked. Through the hard work and dedication of many people, the campus re-opened five weeks later with temporary facilities and, more importantly, no loss of educational programs. The Thomas Fire affected Craig deeply, and READ would provide an opportunity for him to share what he learned and to help others to recover from disasters to a school setting. In January 2020, after viewing images of earthquake damaged Puerto Rico and the children impacted, READ began to take shape, and Craig enlisted the help of friends and family to make READ a reality. READ is designed to provide immediate assistance to schools following disasters to help return students to a sense of normalcy while allowing adults time to take care of their own personal recovery needs.
President and CEO
Craig works for an independent private school in California. In December 2017 the Thomas Fire destroyed half of the school campus where he works. Through the recovery effort, Craig learned what it takes to recover from a disaster and with a passion to help others recover from similar events, READ has been formed.
While working in the independent private education sector, he has served in many roles: Head of School, Assistant Head of School, Director of Summer Programs, Athletic Director, Dean of Residential Life, Maintenance Director, and Interim Director of Development. Before his move to independent school work, he worked in the education field teaching in Santa Cruz and Felton, CA. Prior to teaching, he worked in the hospitality industry serving as General Manager for four boutique B&Bs as well as started and managed their central reservation office. In his spare time, he coached high school and youth baseball. Craig holds a BA in Organizational Management.
Craig and his wife, Michele, live in Ojai, CA.
Vice President and COO
Anthony is a retired Assistant Fire Chief of the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACOFD).
Williams served 35 years with the LACOFD and had 40 years in the fire service overall. Prior to his appointment as Assistant Fire Chief, Williams served as a Battalion Chief for 11 years in a variety of field and administrative commands
As a Captain, Firefighter Specialist and Firefighter Paramedic, Williams had served the communities of Santa Clarita, East Los Angeles, Huntington Park, Bell Gardens, Palos Verdes, Agua Dulce & Lancaster. He has served as a Camp Superintendent and Prescribed Fire Manager responding to many wildfires throughout the country. He is a member of the departments Urban Search & Rescue Team; California Task Force-2 and has been involved in multiple missions domestically and internationally.
As a Division Commander, Williams was responsible for commanding, managing, guiding and training approximately 300 firefighters, over 100 daily at 18 fire stations within the 7th Division Command which covers the Santa Monica Mountains, the cities of Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Malibu, Westlake Village, West Hollywood and the unincorporated communities of Topanga, Marina del Rey, Ladera Heights and Universal City.
Williams was born in Los Angeles, Calif., and lived in Lincoln Heights until age 10. He moved with his parents to the town of Ojai where he lives today. He is a graduate of Villanova Prep School. Williams studied at Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo and holds a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Agricultural Business Administration with a minor in Finance from Washington State University. He is a California State Certified Incident Commander, Operations Section Chief, Division Group Supervisor and Fire Behavior Specialist. He was appointed to the LACOFD in October 1985, fulfilling a lifelong goal of a professional career in the fire and EMS service.
He and his wife, Kirste, live in Ojai.