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Deanne Criswell
Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Incumbent
Assumed office April 26, 2021
President	Joe Biden
Deputy	Erik Hooks
Preceded by	Pete Gaynor
Commissioner of New York City Emergency Management
In office July 1, 2019 – April 26, 2021
Mayor	Bill de Blasio
Preceded by	Joseph Esposito
Succeeded by	John Scrivani
Personal details
Education	Colorado State University (BS) University of Colorado, Denver (MPA) Naval Postgraduate School (MS)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Air Force
Years of service	1992–2013
Rank	Senior Master Sergeant
Unit	Colorado Air National Guard - 140th Wing

Deanne Bennett Criswell is an American emergency management officer who has served as the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency since April 2021. Criswell is the first woman to lead FEMA. She was previously the commissioner of the New York City Emergency Management Office.

Education

Criswell attended elementary school in Free Soil, Michigan and was graduated in 1984 from Catholic Central High School in Manistee, Michigan. She then earned a Bachelor of Science in technology education from Colorado State University, a Master of Public Administration from the University of Colorado Denver, and a Master of Arts in homeland security from the Naval Postgraduate School.

Career

Criswell served as a member of the Colorado Air National Guard with the 140th Wing and was deployed to Kuwait directly after the September 11, 2001 attacks. She also worked as a firefighter for 21 years. Criswell managed the Office of Emergency Management for the city of Aurora, Colorado. She later worked in the Federal Emergency Management Agency during the Barack Obama administration before becoming the commissioner of the New York City Emergency Management department in 2019.

Her nomination to be the next FEMA administrator was submitted to the United States Senate on February 22, 2021. She was confirmed unanimously on April 22, 2021, by voice vote, and was sworn in by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on April 26, 2021.

Criswell reintroduced the FEMA flag on April 12, 2022, for public display.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton Criswell has been accused of abusing her power to deliberately deny relief to disaster victims who were political supporters of President-elect Donald Trump. The attorney general of Florida is suing Criswell and other FEMA employees, some of whom have claimed this discrimination is widespread in the agency. Criswell has been called to testify before the United States Congress on November 19th, 2024.

References

1. ^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). The White House. February 22, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
2. ^ Beitsch, Rebecca (January 15, 2021). "Biden taps Criswell as first woman to lead FEMA". The Hill. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
3. "Biden nominates FEMA veteran Deanne Criswell to lead agency: Here's her background". NOLA.com. Associated Press. January 15, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
4. Hicks, Nolan (January 15, 2021). "Biden picks NYC emergency management chief Deanne Criswell to head FEMA". New York Post. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
5. "Northern Michigan native nominated to lead FEMA". UpNorthLive. January 18, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
6. Grabowski, Ken, "Biden nominates Manistee Catholic Central grad as next FEMA director". Manistee News Advocate, January 17, 2021, p. A1.
7. Fraley, Scott, "Deanne Criswell: From Free Soil to FEMA administrator". Manistee News Advocate, November 22, 2021, p. A4.
8. "Meet the Executive Staff - NYCEM". www1.nyc.gov. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
9. Mayorkas, Alejandro (April 26, 2021). "Honored to deliver the oath of office to Deanne Criswell today, her first full day as the Administrator of @fema https://t.co/kkRJYF0NUl" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved September 5, 2021 – via Twitter.
10. "Florida AG sues FEMA for skipping over Trump supporters".
11. NPR https://www.npr.org/2024/11/14/g-s1-34188/florida-discrimination-lawsuit-fema-trump-supporters. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

External links

• Appearances on C-SPAN

v t e Chiefs of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Directors	Hafer Vickery* Casey* Macy Gallagher* McConnell* Giuffrida Morris* Becton Morris* Jennings* Stickney Tidball* Witt Magaw* Allbaugh
Dept. of Homeland Security	Under Secretaries Brown Paulison Administrators Paulison Ward* Fugate Fenton* Long Gaynor Fenton* Criswell
* denotes acting

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