Today we’d like to introduce you to Monica Zech.
Monica, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I am writing to share a background on my career in broadcasting and public safety speaking.
As a native San Diegan, my broadcast career began during my senior year at Crawford High School with an internship at KGTV ABC 10 News. I continued my studies in Communications at Grossmont College, which led to a news position at KITT radio. After a brief period working at an all-news radio station in Portland, Oregon, I returned to San Diego to continue my work in radio news at KFMB AM radio when I had my daughter. I took about a year off. In 1983, I was offered the position as an Air Traffic Reporter for the Auto Club.
In January 1984, I officially became San Diego’s first female Air Traffic Reporter for the Auto Club. Over time, this role expanded to delivering live traffic reports for ten radio stations and two television stations (NBC 7/39 and KGTV Channel 10). Alongside my broadcast duties, I began speaking to schools, military bases, and local organizations about driving safety, which quickly became my passion. Following the tragic loss of my father to a DUI driver in 1992, after eight years of lecturing, my commitment to advocating for traffic and driving safety became even stronger.
In August 2001 I made a big career change for a bigger role in safety, to serve as the Public Information Officer and safety educator for the El Cajon Fire Department. After five years my role expanded to represent both police and fire and for the City of El Cajon until my retirement in August 2019. But my lectures continue – for now 42 years.
In 2026, demand for my driver safety awareness presentations has grown significantly, particularly at local military bases and high schools. My talks focus on critical issues such as the dangers of DUI, alcohol and drug awareness, distracted driving, road rage, and more. Moving forward, my goal is to publish a series of driving safety books tailored for children, teens, and adults.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
During my first year as an air traffic reporter, I was the first reporter on the scene of the San Ysidro McDonald’s massacre on July 18, 1984. It was a horrific scene, but I reported live from the air non-stop for over an hour to provide critical updates on street and freeway closures to keep the public from entering this area of the south bay. For this life-saving coverage, I was later honored with a Golden Mike Award and two San Diego Press Club awards.
Later, as Public Information Officer for the fire department, I managed public communications for the east county during the 2003 and 2007 firestorms. My primary focus was keeping the community updated on active fire movement and evacuation zones for residents and livestock.
Following my retirement, my lecture demand increased since I’m no longer restricted by a regular work 9 to 5 work schedule. Prior to this I would use ALL my vacation and sick leave hours toward delivering my safety lectures. But what also changed was becoming my mother’s primary caregiver, my mother, who lived with me since my father’s passing in 1992. She passed away in May 2023 at age 97 due to dementia. Since then, I have partnered with the Alzheimer’s Association to deliver presentations to local seniors on recognizing when it is time to transition away from driving. In addition, I’ve also been a member of MADD’s speakers bureau for 34 years since my father’s death in 1992.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am honored to have served as San Diego’s first female air traffic reporter. When the Auto Club was looking to fill this high-profile position, the manager reached out to local radio stations for recommendations. I was grateful to learn that two stations recommended me for the role. When speaking to students about careers, I often share this story to emphasize the importance of always doing your best—because you never know who is listening or watching. But in preparation for this new role I became heavily involved with safety research working with numerous safety organizations and numerous local EMS agencies. In addition, I worked with NETS, Network of Employers for Transportation Safety, on a study involving road rage. I spoke to local companies conducting surveys and talking about ways to deal with road rage they may encounter. But this research included traffic incidents that have happened to me personally. In 2003, I smacked into a STOP sign runner and according to two surgeons this incident should have paralyzed me, since that incident, I’ve been hit by three times by drivers looking at their cellphones. All these incidents have added a deeper message to my presentations.
When the Auto Club initially contacted me, they asked if I was comfortable flying and reporting from the air. I immediately accepted, remembering one of my father’s favorite quotes: “You can’t win if you don’t play!” To me, success is about embracing opportunities as they arise and not being afraid of a challenge. The Auto Club is well known for their safety research which I use in my lectures.
Ultimately, I strongly believe in helping others by sharing our experiences and the lessons I have learned along the way.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I wanted to share a bit of my personal journey and what inspires my passion for mentoring young people.
When I was 13, I lost my identical twin sister and best friend, Vivian, to leukemia. Following her passing, I became much more reserved and kept to myself at school. Everything changed in 11th grade, when my social studies teacher Sharon Hall, approached me during a test and asked if I had thought about my future career goals. When I said I hadn’t, she mentioned that I had a “unique voice” and suggested I look into careers in broadcasting and communications.
I took her advice, searched the career files, and found my calling. That single moment of encouragement gave me a clear direction and made me eager to pursue my goals.
Because I know firsthand how impactful a teacher’s guidance can be, I am deeply committed to helping young people discover and pursue their own career paths.
Pricing:
- monica@monicazech.com
Contact Info:
- Website: https://monicazech.com
- Facebook: Monica Zech
- LinkedIn: Monica Zech
