Craig Fugate has been on board at FEMA for around six months as the new FEMA Administrator. It is still early in his tenure, but he is starting to put his stamp on what the future might hold for FEMA.
Jim McKay did a short profile on him in his
Point of View piece (page 10) in the current edition of Emergency Management Magazine. Jim hit the nail on a couple of Fugateisms.
- No nonsense
- Straight talker
- Knowledgeable
- Not afraid of technology--social media
- Mitigation focus
- Can be abrasive
The challenge for Craig will be taking the good parts and melding them with the D.C. culture. I always love going to D.C. or watching someone from D.C. show up out in the hinterlands. Typically, white males, dark suit, white shirt, nice tie, they have hair, seem to know everyone, and have excellent posture. Craig doesn't fit this mold. One of the reasons I think James Lee Witt was successful as the then FEMA Director was that he looked the part and had excellent interpersonal skills (not to mention pressed blue jeans when he was at a disaster site).
Legislators will like Craig's frankness until it conflicts with what they want done with their district or state. Blending knowledge with the ability to get things accomplished will lead to effectiveness. Sometimes there is such a thing as being "Dead Right." You may be correct in your facts, but still on the wrong side of an issue.
We need to hope that as we "Follow Fugate" we'll see him find that right mix to lead FEMA and our profession forward in the coming years.
