Ten New Members Join FEMA's National Advisory Council
The newcomers include Dennis J. Storemski, director of the City of Houston's Mayor's Office of Public Safety & Homeland Security, and Bart Johnson, executive director of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
FEMA's National Advisory Council has 10 new members who are now serving along with five reappointed members, the federal agency announced Aug. 9. The council is an advisory committee created to ensure effective and ongoing coordination of federal preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation for natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters.
FEMA received more than 500 applications for these positions. "The National Advisory Council provides FEMA with advice and recommendations on how to achieve the agency's mission," said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. "We look forward to continued dialogue on emergency management to support states, strengthen outreach efforts to Indian Country, and engage the whole community to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. Both the new and reappointed members represent a cross-section of the emergency management team, and their insight is valued."
The new NAC members include:
- Chris E. Howell, tribal liaison/executive director, Kansas Native American Affairs (Topeka, Kansas)
- Bart Johnson, executive director, International Association of Chiefs of Police (Alexandria, Va.)
- Dr. Emily Gayle Kidd, assistant professor, University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio
- Chief W. Nim Kidd, assistant director/chief, Texas Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Management (Austin)
- Linda Langston, Linn County supervisor (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
- Dennis J. Storemski, director, City of Houston's Mayor's Office of Public Safety & Homeland Security
Reappointed members include Elizabeth Armstrong, executive director of the International Association of Emergency Managers, and Mark A. Cooper, senior director of emergency management for Wal-Mart.