Deanne Criswell Nominated to Be FEMA Administrator

In the United States Army there is a term used for people waiting for the next leader to arrive. These are the "interim leaders" who are waiting for the next appointed leader to arrive — they are called "horse holders." They don't ride the leadership horse, they just take care of it until the next leader arrives.

I don't know who the "horse holder" will be in the interim at FEMA, but thankfully we do know that the new FEMA administrator who will ride the FEMA pony is Deanne Criswell, currently the commissioner for New York City Emergency Management. See this article about the appointment, "Biden picks familiar faces for top roles at FEMA, CIA."

Back in December I wrote this: "Handicapping the Biden FEMA Administrator Candidates." I don't gamble, but if I'd only put money on Deanne I could have won a lot of money!

For those wondering what she is like, I've done two Disaster Zone Podcasts with Deanne. I really like her common sense and direct approach. She is someone who feels to be "very real" as a person. And, finally, we will have a woman leading FEMA!

Here's the podcasts I've done with Deanne if you want to get a feel for who she is and how she communicates:

"New York City's Emergency Management Program"

"Warning the Public in New York City"

Lastly, watch for an exit interview I did with current (sort of) FEMA Administrator Pete Gaynor. It will be published soon. I say "sort of" because he is currently the acting DHS secretary. I guess you could say he is a "horse holder" over there at present. 

The Recovery Diva, Claire Rubin, alerted me to the appointment and provided the link above.