At the Forefront of Crisis Leadership
At the Forefront of Crisis Leadership
"Our field is undergoing immense change, but one thing remains constant: our unending commitment to the people we serve. We’re facing greater risks and a changing society, which means our role is evolving. As we move into the future, we’re going to need to leverage all the lessons we’ve learned... lessons of connectivity, creativity, and most of all, adaptability."
FEMA Administrator
Deanne Criswell
Today’s executive leaders face a level of complexity, interconnectivity, uncertainty, and volatility far beyond anything seen before. Leading in this environment requires integrative thinking, advanced problem solving, predictive analysis, and coordinated communication spanning all levels of the government, the private sector, policymakers, practitioners, and communities.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Emergency Management Institute’s (EMI) Vanguard Executive Crisis Leaders Fellowship is a two-week, senior-level leadership program focused on disruptive changes in emergency management and crisis leadership. Through a series of focused discussions with top experts and peers, participants will engage in seminars, site visits with crisis leadership experts, and roundtable sessions to discuss and debate the challenges we share as crisis leaders and move the needle towards improving personal and collective preparedness.
Who Should Apply
The Vanguard Executive Crisis Leaders Fellowship is designed for senior executives and proven crisis leaders with 15+ years of crisis leadership or emergency management experience from government, academia, non-governmental, philanthropic, and private sectors. Ideal candidates are executive level leaders responsible for operational and strategic decision-making in crisis OR individuals with experience leading organizations through novel crisis events.
Selectees include, but are not limited to:
- Emergency management and homeland security directors or advisors leading in local, state, multijurisdictional, or large metropolitan areas
- Emergency management leaders from allied disciplines in the public sector, such as public utilities, public transportation, and military roles
- Private Sector leaders with experience in crisis leadership
- PhD academics, professors, or researchers
- Elected Officials
- Members of the Governor's Cabinet or chief/director of an agency
- Federal administrators at the Appointed or Senior Executive Service (SES)
- Directors of voluntary, community-based, non-profit, or philanthropic organizations
- Individuals with experience leading through novel crisis events
Program Objectives
Through a series of roundtable seminars, site visits, and expert-level exchanges, participants will:
- Examine risk and disruptive changes in emergency management, and the leadership challenges and values conflicts that result
- Explore and share theoretical frameworks for leading and managing crises
- Brainstorm innovative strategies to strengthen emergency and crisis management
- Build a purposeful network with trusted executive-level crisis leaders in government, academia, private, and non-governmental sectors
- Share crisis leadership stories and lessons learned, helping to build and grow thought leadership within the profession.
Program Schedule
Each cohort begins with a 2-hour virtual welcome session.
Week One will be held at a rotating, offsite location to allow each cohort a unique opportunity to meet with experts across the country and discuss disruptive threats and unique challenges of the major cities and localities visited.
Week Two is hosted in Washington, D.C. and includes visits with the White House National Security Council, Congressional staff and elected officials, and FEMA leadership, among others.
Cohort | Virtual Intro | Week One | Virtual Session | Week Two |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cohort 6 | Jan 31, 2:00-4:00 pm | Feb 12-16, 2024 Chicago, IL | TBD | Apr 1-5, 2024 Washington, DC |
Cohort 7 | Apr 17, 2:00-4:00 pm | Apr 29-May 3, 2024 New York, NY | TBD | Jun 10-14, 2024 Washington, DC |
Cohort 8 | Jul 9, 2:00-4:00 pm | Jul 15-19, 2024 Denver, CO | TBD | Aug 12-16, 2024 Washington, DC |
Vanguard Selection Process
The Emergency Management Institute (EMI) will accept applications for the Vanguard Executive Crisis Leaders Fellowship on a rolling basis. Those applicants that wish to apply for the CY 2024 cohorts should submit their application by December 15, 2023. Applications received after this time will be considered for the CY25 cohorts.
A formal selection board will convene to review the application packages with an announcement of the results made to applicants by early January.
Applications will be evaluated based on the depth and breadth of direct experience leading through crisis, or in an executive level emergency management position.
To ensure a diversity of participation, the program takes a hybrid approach to filling each cohort, accepting self-nominations, alumni recommendations, and direct recruitment of proven crisis leaders. Applicants are encouraged to review all selection and application requirements before submitting their application package.
How to Apply
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Verify Qualification
- Review and verify the selection and application requirements for the Vanguard Program
- Application deadline for FY 2024 is December 15, 2023
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Email Application & Supporting Documents
To apply for the Vanguard Fellowship, please e-mail the following to fema-emi-superintendent@fema.dhs.gov:
Submit the completed package to fema-emi-superintendent@fema.dhs.gov by December 15, 2023.
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Application Complete
After the application deadline, FEMA EMI will convene a panel to adjudicate applications. Selectees will be notified by early January.
Tuition and Travel Reimbursement
There is no cost of tuition for the Vanguard Executive Crisis Leaders Fellowship.
Individuals participating in the Emergency Management Institute (EMI) Vanguard program may be eligible for up to 50% travel reimbursement (airfare, hotel, meal per diem) with the home organization covering the remaining 50%.
Those groups typically eligible for partial reimbursement include state, local or tribal government representatives; recognized volunteer organization representatives; or active emergency management organization representatives.
We cannot reimburse federal government, private sector, representatives of a foreign organization, or contract employees. For information on organizations falling outside of the categories listed above, please e-mail fema-emi-superintendent@fema.dhs.gov.
Eligible for stipend reimbursement
- State, local or tribal government representatives.
- Recognized volunteer organization representatives.
- Active emergency management organization representatives.
- Representatives from state or local fire organizations
Not eligible for reimbursement
- Federal government. (Federal students are subject to federal travel regulations and travel under orders prepared by their office.)
- Private industry employees.
- Employees who are contracted to federal, state, or local government entities (such as rural-metro departments).
- Representatives of a foreign organization.
Fellowship Alumni
The Vanguard Alumni network represents some of the most influential and experienced minds in emergency management and crisis leadership today. Our alumni network exists to serve one purpose: to ensure that our Nation’s crisis leaders can access the information and relationships needed to innovate, prepare, and respond.
Jeff Byard | Vice President of Operations | Team Rubicon |
Marcus Coleman | Director of DHS Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships | FEMA |
Lori Ehrlich | Regional Administrator | FEMA Region 1 |
Judson Freed | Director of EM and Homeland Security | Ramsay County, MN |
Carolyn Harshman | President | International Association of Emergency Managers |
Mark Harvey | Harvard Fellow / Former Senior Director for Resilience Policy, National Security Council | SVP, New York Federal Reserve |
Brian Hastings | Director | Alabama Emergency Management Agency |
Justin Knighten | Director of Office of External Affairs | FEMA |
Dr. Atiya Martin | CEO and Founder | All Aces Consulting |
Dawn O'Connell | Assistant Secretary | Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response |
Carol Parks | General Manager of the Emergency Management Department | Los Angeles, CA |
Will Polk | Deputy General Counsel | North Carolina Dept of Public Safety |
Patrick Roberts | Senior Political Scientist | RAND |
LTG A.C. Roper | Deputy Commander, NORTHCOM | Department of Defense |
Monica Sanders | Managing Director, Georgetown's Environmental Justice Program | Georgetown University |
Patrick Sheehan | Director | Tennessee Emergency Management Agency |
Eric Stern | Professor and Chairman of the Faculty | SUNY Albany, College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security & Cybersecurity |
Jeff Toney | Director of Emergency Management | San Diego, CA |
Dana Tulis | Director of Emergency Management | U.S. Coast Guard |
Curtis Brown | Founder | Institute for Diversity and Inclusion in EM |
MaryEllen Carrol | Director of Emergency Management | San Francisco |
Nancy Casper | Federal Coordinating Officer | FEMA |
Bill Driscoll | State Representative, Former Interim President and CEO of NVOAD | Massachusetts House of Representatives |
Drenan Dudley | Professional Staff | U.S. Senate |
Chris Geldart | Deputy Mayor of Public Safety & Justice | Washington, D.C. |
Erin Hoffman | Director of NETHD | FEMA |
Jessica Jensen | Department Head & Associate Professor | University of North Dakota Dept. of Emergency Management |
Heather King | Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense Integration and Defense Support to Civil Authorities | Department of Defense |
Kelly McKinney | Assistant Vice President of Emergency Management and Enterprise Resilience | NYU Langone Health |
Ted Okada | Chief Technology Officer | FEMA |
John Pennington | Deputy Director | University of Alaska Center for Arctic Security & Resilience |
Andrew Phelps | Director | Oregon Office of EM |
Tom Sivak | Regional Administrator | FEMA R5 |
Jon Spaner | Partner | McKinsey |
Ellis Stanley | Managing Partner | Ellis Stanley Partners |
Russ Strickland | Secretary | Maryland Department of Emergency Management |
MJ Thomas | Director of Security | General Dynamics |
Christine Altendorf | Director of Military Programs | US Army Corps of Engineers |
Danielle Aymond | Of Counsel | Baker Donelson |
Kellie Bentz | Affiliate Faculty | Harvard University National Preparedness Leadership Institution |
Erica Bornemann | Director | Vermont Emergency Management Agency |
Nickea Bradley | Director of Prevention and Mitigation | Washington Area Metro Transit Authority |
Cathy Clark | President | International Association of Emergency Managers |
Yokarina Duarte | Chief of Staff | New York City Emergency Management |
Bob Fenton | Regional Administrator | FEMA Region 9 |
Angie Gibson | Vice President of Emergency Preparedness and Response | Pacific Gas and Electric |
Pete Gomez | Director | Miami-Dade Emergency Management |
Natalie Grant | Director, Office of Human Services Emergency Preparedness and Response | Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response |
Jeffrey Hansen | Director, Community Protection | Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma |
Matt Kallmyer | Director | Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency |
David Kaufman | Vice President and Director for Safety and Security | CNA |
Carolyn Levering | Emergency Manager | Las Vegas, NV |
Sean Regan | Deputy Commander Pacific Area | U.S. Coast Guard |
Gracia Szczech | Regional Administrator | FEMA Region 4 |
Alicia Tate-Nadeau | Director | Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security |
Shad Ahmed | Director, Portland Bureau of Emergency Management | Portland, OR |
Michael Antoine | Director, Homeland Security | New Orleans, LA |
Beth Armstrong | CEO | International Association of Emergency Managers |
Mike Byrne | Specialist Executive | Deloitte |
Clara Decerbo | Director of Emergency Management | Providence, RI |
Julie Kachgal | Director, Global Crisis Management | Walt Disney Company |
Jason McNamara | Director | CNA |
Samantha Montano | Assistant Professor of Emergency Management | Massachusetts Maritime Academy |
Faith Newton | Director of Crisis Management | Walmart |
Willie Nunn | Regional Administrator | FEMA Region 10 |
Chris Rodriguez | Director | Washington, D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (DC HSEMA) |
Dillon Taylor | Chief of Staff & Senior Counsel | Virginia |
Elisa Urena | Chief Financial Officer | New York City Emergency Management |
Helen Welch | Director, Response and Recovery Readiness | American Red Cross |
Mike Willis | Director | Colorado Office of Emergency Management |
Tim Zientek | Chairman, Inter-Tribal Emergency Management Coalition of Oklahoma | Potawatomi Tribe, OK |
Ross Ashley | Senior Director, Disaster Management | KPMG US |
Brian Baker | Vice President | Hagerty |
Katherine Boatwright | Senior Director, Global Operations | CWS Global |
Dawn Brantley | Director of Emergency Management | Massachusetts |
Natalie Enclade | Executive Director | Build Strong Coalition |
David Fogerson | Director of Emergency Management | Nevada |
AJ Gary | Director of Emergency Management | Arkansas |
Curry Mayer | Director of Emergency Management | Seattle, WA |
Moniek Pointer | Manager, Emergency & Homeland Security | Los Angeles, CA Metro |
Amanda Savitt | Emergency Management Analyst | Argonee National Laboratory |
AJ Schall | Director of Emergency Management | Delaware |
Jeremy Slinker | Director of Emergency Management | Kentucky |
Jeff Smitherman | Director of Emergency Management | Alabama |
Erik Speranza | Director, Emergency Management Division | US House of Representatives |
John Tani | Special Agent in Charge, Office of Strategic Planning and Policy | US Secret Service |
April Wood | President and CEO | National VOAD |
Further Information
For further inquiries please contact the Vanguard program: