FEMA Names First Woman to Chair National Advisory Council

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell announced this week the appointments of 12 new National Advisory Council (NAC) members, as well as new council Chair Carrie Speranza, the first woman to serve in the position. Speranza moves into the role after having served as vice chair alongside outgoing Chair Jeff Hanson, director of the Office of Emergency Management for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

The National Advisory Council serves as an advisory body to the FEMA administrator in various aspects of emergency management, including preparedness, protection, response, recovery and mitigation.

“The National Advisory Council is charged with making recommendations to improve FEMA’s programs and services,” Criswell said in a press release. “Having a council that has a diversity of expertise and experiences ensures we’re serving disaster survivors and communities as effectively as possible. This year, we’re appointing 14 members from across the country. I’m proud to share that, for the first time in the Council’s history, a woman will serve as NAC chairperson. I congratulate Carrie Speranza on her appointment as she continues her career of service and dedication to the field of emergency management.”

Speranza will chair the group consisting of two reappointed members: Donald Bliss, vice president of field operations (ret.) for the National Fire Protection Association, and Brian Strong, chief resilience officer and director of the office of Resilience and Capital Planning for San Francisco. The 12 new members beginning their terms on Dec. 1, 2023, include:

• Councilman Nelson Andrews, emergency management director, Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, Mashpee, Mass.
• Jill Boudreau, mayor, Mount Vernon, Wash.
• Chloe Demrovsky, president and CEO, Disaster Recovery Institute International
• Thomas Jenkins, fire chief, Rogers, Ark., Fire Department
• Michael Méndez, Aasistant professor, Department of Urban Planning and Public Policy, University of California, Irvine
• Thomas Munoz, deputy director and emergency management coordinator, Houston Office of Emergency Management
• Brittany Perkins Castillo, CEO, AshBritt, Inc.
• Salvatore Scarpa, Fire-EMS chief, Columbus, Ohio, Fire and Emergency Medical Services
• Frank Scott, mayor, Little Rock, Ark.
• Seth Statler, director of government affairs, National Fire Protection Association
• David Thomson, clinical professor and medical director, College of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Exercise Science, Colorado State University
• Michael P. Williams, Sr., Akiak Native Community (IRA) tribal judge, Yupiit Nation, Akiak, Alaska