Vanguard Executive Crisis Leaders Fellowship

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.

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

1. Verify Qualification

   • Review and verify the selection and application requirements for the Vanguard Program
   • Application deadline for FY 2024 is December 15, 2023

2. Email Application & Supporting Documents

   To apply for the Vanguard Fellowship, please e-mail the following to fema-emi-superintendent@fema.dhs.gov:

   • Your resume

   • A 300-word or less response to the following:

     What do you hope to get out of the fellowship, what do you hope to contribute, and what 2 books do you recommend to up-and-coming crisis leaders?

   • Cohort Preference

     Within your email:

     Indicate the specific cohort for which you are applying. You may apply for 1, 2 or all 3. Please list in preferred rank order and only select cohorts for which you are available in their entirety

     If your application is supported by a Vanguard alumni, please share their name in the e-mail

   Submit the completed package to fema-emi-superintendent@fema.dhs.gov by December 15, 2023.

   Submit Application & Supporting Documents

3. 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.

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.

Further Information

For further inquiries please contact the Vanguard program:

Contact Vanguard Program