Perhaps you know some of the five who are listed. I know of four of the five and have spoken or worked with three of them in the past.
My Top Pick: Deanne Criswell
Why? First of all, I want someone competent at the helm of FEMA and someone who enters the job with "new ideas" and is not wedded to what has been in the past. We have to get out of the muck we are in today. She has the experience to do a good job and with 350 staff at New York City and a population equal to or greater than most states (that would be 38 of them), you can't knock that she hasn't been a state director. It is also high time in the 21st century that we have a woman as the FEMA administrator! She has also been mentioned to me by other "people in the know" as a strong candidate.
James Featherstone
Jim has been around a long time and has the political chops to handle the job, having served in Los Angeles for a number of years. He is also a minority, which in the Biden administration will be a strong point for who they select. We need much more diversity in our emergency management workforce and minorities seeing someone in a position of influence might think about making a career in our profession. People don't grow up wanting to be an emergency manager, so they need to see themselves as being qualified and successful. The power of example is huge.
Mark Ghilarducci
He was a James Lee Witt protege (if you even know who James Lee Witt was — former FEMA director and the only one to serve at the cabinet level). Leading California, a hot spot for disasters, has given him lots of experience. And with a workforce of around 500, he's used to running a larger organization. Will he be interested? Mark is a cancer survivor, so it depends on if he wants another notch in his hammer or not.
Michael Sprayberry
First of all, I don't know him. The writeup on him in the above article is a good one. My only impression is that we need a dynamic leader at the helm. If a steady hand on the tiller is what is needed, Mike might be the right guy, but I'm opting for full throttle, blow the barn doors off, we must do something different, because we are not making significant progress at the current rate. I actually think we are moving backward due to the increase in risks all around us.
Jared Moskowitz
I know him only from the news. But, I think he may be unqualified to lead FEMA due to a lack of experience in emergency management. It would be the same as bringing in a highly successful four-star general. Leadership is not the only thing we need — someone must have more than two years of experience in the trade. I'd say the same for any consultant being considered for appointment who had not spent time in the emergency management trenches.
As for my handicapping skills — I told a "lead contender" for FEMA administrator four years ago that I had him as my top pick. However, he was not the person selected!
