New head of FEMA institute named

FEMA's Tony Russell

Current FEMA Region VI administrator Tony Russell will take the helm of the agency’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI) as its new superintendent.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administrator Craig Fugate announced Russell’s appointment on April 26. Russell starts the new job on May 6.

EMI is the emergency management community’s flagship training institution, and provides training to emergency managers at all levels of government, volunteer organizations and the private sector, as they work to prevent, prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the potential effects of all types of disasters and emergencies. EMI trains more than two million students annually, and is located on the campus of the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, MD.

“I’m confident that Tony is the right person to take on this important role,” said Fugate in a statement announcing the appointment. “The emergency management training that takes place at EMI is critical to the FEMA mission and with Tony’s leadership, I’m confident that we will continue to educate and train the country’s finest emergency managers.”

Russell was appointed as the FEMA Region VI administrator in December 2009, and has been responsible for the oversight of FEMA operations in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas. He previously served as the acting director of FEMA’s Louisiana Recovery Office and as a Federal Coordinating Officer for FEMA Region VIII.

In his job as Region VI Administrator, Russell streamlined and reinvigorated recovery efforts from hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Ike in Louisiana and Texas, according to FEMA. He also oversaw many federal disaster and emergency declarations for events such as flooding, tornadoes and severe winter storms in all five of the region’s states, it said.

FEMA Region VI deputy administrator Tony Robinson will assume the duties of acting regional administrator upon Russell’s departure, said the agency.