Deanne Criswell is an experienced emergency management professional and the 12th Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). She was sworn in as FEMA’s first female Administrator on April 26, 2021, under President Joe Biden.

As FEMA Administrator, Deanne focused on making disaster response more mitigated, addressing climate-related risks, and improving coordination with state, local, tribal, and territorial governments.

Before leading FEMA, she served as the Commissioner of the New York City Emergency Management Department, where she played a pivotal role in managing large-scale emergencies in complex urban environments, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

Most recently, Deanne served as a Senior Fellow at Yale University, teaching a graduate level course on crisis leadership, emergency management, and national resilience. She also served as the Emergency Manager for the City of Aurora, Colorado, where she led the city's emergency preparedness, response, and recovery programs. Additionally, she served in the Colorado Air National Guard for over two decades, bringing military expertise to crisis management.

The 2026 NHMA Practitioners’ Meeting will be held on Thursday, June 18, 2026, in Broomfield, Colorado. The program will feature a diverse lineup of sessions covering critical topics in hazard mitigation including how to connect recovery to mitigation, funding to implement mitigation projects, the current mitigation landscape, and how to attract and build a workforce of mitigation professionals.

Space is limited - Register Today!