Senior Chaplain and Resiliency Advocate
Salem Police/Fire/Health
Salem, Oregon, United States
George Escalante is a nationally recognized expert in trauma response, officer wellness, and community resilience, with over 25 years of experience in coaching, counseling, crisis intervention, and pastoral care. Bilingual in English/Spanish, George brings cultural competency and deep empathy to his service in diverse communities. He has served as a crisis negotiator with the Oregon Department of Corrections and currently leads chaplaincy and peer support efforts for Salem Police, Salem Fire, WVCC 911, the Department of Corrections, and healthcare workers. George holds advanced certifications in CISM/CISD and is a certified instructor in MHFA, QPR, Stress1st Aid for Healthcare Workers. He is also trained in Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) methods and the Acute Stress Adaptive Protocol. His deployment history includes responding at Ground Zero on 9/11, 2010 Haiti earthquake, and humanitarian Israel in 2024. George holds a master’s degree in Coaching and Mentoring and a bachelor’s in Social and Criminal Justice. He speaks nationally on officer wellness, critical incident stress, emotional intelligence, and leadership in high-stress environments.
Tuesday, October 21, 2025
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM MT