Emergency Management Advanced Academy

Who Should Apply

NEMAA is designed for emergency management professionals with a background and experience serving in an Emergency Management (EM) organization or in a significant role directly connected to the Profession of Emergency Management or a recognized EM organization, such as: Public Health, Higher Education, Medical, and Private Sector organizations or companies with a role in Emergencies and Disasters. This includes:

• Employed or directly connected (ex. Volunteer) with Emergency Management (EM) (Examples: Federal, Military, State, Local, Tribal, Territorial and Consortium EM Agencies)
• Directly Connected with the Profession of Emergency Management (EM) or a Recognized EM Organization (Examples: Public Health, Higher Education, School Systems, NGOs, Private Sector Business Continuity/EM)

Students learn skills critical to performing emergency management responsibilities, such as: program management and oversight, effective communication at all levels, integrated collaboration, and strategic thinking, along with completing a NEMAA Paper prior to attending the third course.

Classroom Course Requirements

The Advanced Academy consists of the following 4 classroom courses, comprising 4 weeks (20 days, 133 hours) of learning. Attendance at each course is mandatory.

The courses must be attended in sequential order during the current Federal fiscal year, and completion of a comprehensive paper is required prior to successful graduation from the program.

• E0451: Advanced I - Application of Advanced Individual Concepts in EM

  • Classroom Delivery

    Resident (E), Local (L), Virtual (K)

  • Prerequsities

    Selection to NEMAA Program

  • Course Description

    The goal of E0451, Advanced I: Application of Advanced Individual Concepts in EM, the first course of the National Emergency Management Advanced Academy curriculum, is to provide EM professionals with critical skills that are needed to perform responsibilities such as program management oversight, effective communication, research resources, applicable laws, policy considerations, collaboration, and strategic thinking. Advanced I is designed to provide participants with the skills to manage EM programs and will be essential to building the foundation for collaboration by bringing EM professionals together to share their experiences and establish a network.

  • Course Length

    5 days (35 hours)

  E0451 Course Details

• E0452: Advanced II - Assessment of Teams in Professional Emergency Management

  • Classroom Delivery

    Resident (E), Local (L), Virtual (K)

  • Prerequsities

    Selection to NEMAA Program

  • Course Description

    The goal of E0452, Advanced II: Assessment of Teams in Professional Emergency Management, is to provide EM professionals with critical skills that are needed to be able to apply personal management styles in the context of EM. Advanced II will provide participants with the essential skills needed to lead EM programs at the mid-manager's level and will be essential to building the foundation for collaboration by bringing EM professionals together to share their experiences and establish a network. Advanced II will enable participants to gain knowledge necessary for understanding and developing themselves as mid-level managers, develop critical thinking and decision-making skills, develop personal influence and communication skills, work through resiliency, and motivate and manage others. In addition, Advanced II will provide an opportunity to explore the importance of ethics, values, and accountability. Sharing best practices, lessons learned, tools, and documentation to have a firm understanding of Federal, State, and local EM programs, as well as how those programs can be effectively leveraged to support State and local needs and requirements.

  • Course Length

    5 days (35 hours)

  E0452 Course Details

• E0453: Advanced III - Contemporary Issues in the Emergency Management Organization

  • Classroom Delivery

    Resident (E), Local (L), Virtual (K)

  • Prerequsities

    Selection to NEMAA Program

  • Course Description

    E/L0453 Contemporary Issues in the Emergency Management Organization (Advanced III) is a 5-day course designed to introduce the participants to skills critical to engage the leadership challenges associated with the local emergency management organization and immediate local community. The course begins with strategies for balancing priorities when managing and developing an organization, followed by the application of emergency management leadership skills when analyzing a case study. The course then shifts to the use of performance measures to monitor and improve organizational effectiveness, then cover creating an organizational climate that fosters innovation. The course moves to the strategic planning process and how it is applied to the local organization. After that, the course will cover strategies for managing change and conflict in an organization. Participants will then explore the economics of disaster, including identifying the financial vulnerability of their community. Participants will share their NEMAA research paper findings with their table groups and will work on the presentations for the E/L0454 course. Finally, the participants will take a graded final exam and then finish with the course conclusion and preparation for subsequent attendance to Advanced Academy IV.

  • Course Length

    5 days (35 hours)

  E0453 Course Details

• E0454: Advanced IV - Advanced Concepts and Policy in the EM Profession

  • Classroom Delivery

    Resident (E), Local (L), Virtual (K)

  • Prerequsities

    Selection to NEMAA Program

  • Course Description

    The E/L0454: Advanced Concepts and Policy in the Emergency Management Profession (Advanced IV) is a 5-day course designed to introduce the participants to the leadership challenges faced by emergency management professionals in the broader emergency management community and profession. The course includes the following topics: a deep level discussion on community resilience and capacity to include regional and national coordination and considerations; an exploration of emerging issues in emergency management; advanced leadership concepts such as influence, motivation, and leading during disaster and non-disaster times; professional development strategies and planning for the emergency manager; an original case study capstone activity; and the research paper class presentations. The course concludes with a graduation ceremony from the NEMAA program.

  • Course Length

    5 days (28 hours)

  E0454 Course Details

Fiscal Year 2024 Schedule

The NEMAA on campus classroom courses are typically scheduled as 2 cohort series per year. The courses are not offered individually. Cadidates selected to a cohort must attend each course in sequence, and in person, throughout the series progression within the assigned cohort.

NEMAA Selection Process

The National Disaster & Emergency Management University (NDEMU) Emergency Management Professional Program Branch will start accepting applications for the National Emergency Management Advanced Academy (NEMAA) from April 1 – June 1, 2024 for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Cohorts. A formal selection board will convene to review the application packages with an announcement of the results made to applicants in August.

Applications will be evaluated based on recommended prerequisites to include:

• Depth and Breadth of direct experience in an EM position
• Project and working group leadership
• Substantial continuing service commitment
• Contribution to the field
• Whole community representation

There are a limited number of spaces for each Cohort and applications are expected to be very competitive. Applicants should first look at the entire Emergency Management Professional Program (EMPP) website to gauge for which Academy they are best suited. NEMAA Applicants are encouraged to review all selection and application requirements before submitting their application package.

How to Apply

1. Verify Qualification

   • Review and verify the candidacy requirements for selection to the NEMAA program
   • Application open period for FY 2025 is April 1 - June 1, 2024
   • Incomplete applications, and applications submitted outside of the open period will not be considered

2. Download Application Package

   The NEMAA Application Package Document is the only acceptable document to complete when applying to NEMAA. Incomplete packages and additional attachments will not be considered.

   • Download the fillable PDF application package below
   • Save the document in the format required for submission:
     • LastnameFirstname.AA.FY25 (e.g. JonesRobert.AA.FY25)

   NEMAA Application Package

3. Complete the NEMAA Application Package

   Complete the NEMAA application form within the space provided with this document. This is the only acceptable document to complete when applying to NEMAA. Incomplete packages and additional attachments will not be considered.

   How to Complete NEMAA Package

   What to include in NEMAA application package:

   • Candidate Information
   • A cover letter requesting consideration for admission to the program and specifying the applicant’s qualifications and expectations of the program
   • Resume with space provided for:
     • Emergency Management Experience (Example: Feb 2020-present; 3 yrs; Director, Maryland EMA)
     • Boards, Commission, Associations (Example: Committee Chair, International Association of Emergency Managers, 2018 – present or Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) Chairperson, 2018 – 2020)
     • Education (Example: University of Maryland University College, M.S. Emergency Management, August 2017)
     • Training & Certifications (Example: Title of Course, Training Location, Date attended/completed)
     • Other In the event you need more space from an area above or have additional information you feel the selection panel should take into consideration when reviewing your package.
   • Advanced Academy Commitment Statement indicating a commitment to complete the entire program, which consists of the four resident courses at NDEMU and the NEMAA Paper
   • Academy Questionnaire consists of five (5) questions reviewed by the selection committee to assist in determining the most qualified candidates
   • A Recommendation letter from your immediate Supervisor. If you are self-employed and do not have an immediate supervisor, then please us your most recent supervisor
   • Signatures section has a location for the electronic signatures of both the applicant and the applicant’s supervisor. If you are self-employed and do not have an immediate supervisor, then please use your most recent supervisor

4. Submit Application Package

   For consideration of selection to the NEMAA program, simply email the completed application package document to FEMA-EMPP-Advanced-Academy@fema.dhs.gov.

   • The application package is the only document accepted
   • Incomplete packages and additional attachments will not be considered
   • Ensure the package file name meets the required format above

   Once the selection board concludes in August, you will be notified of the selection status via the email address provided during application.

Tuition and Travel Reimbursement

There is no cost of tuition for the Advanced Academy courses.

Some individuals taking courses at the National Emergency Training Center (NETC) in Emmitsburg, Maryland may be eligible for stipend reimbursement. For information about travel reimbursement eligibility and procedures, see the NETC Welcome Package.

Further Information

For more information about the NEMAA, please see the EMPP list of frequently asked questions

For further inquiries about the Advanced Academy, please see the EMPP points of contact list