Daniel Kaniewski, FEMA’s Deputy Administrator for Resilience

Daniel Kaniewski was appointed by the Senate unanimously as FEMA’s second-ranking official in September 2017, where he oversees its insurance, mitigation, preparedness, continuity and grant programs. Prior to FEMA he led the global resilience practice at AIR Worldwide (a catastrophe risk modeling firm) as well as being a senior fellow at the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security.

Early Life and Education

Daniel Kaniewski served as the Deputy Administrator of FEMA during some of the most devastating natural disasters of recent memory, such as hurricanes Irma and Maria impacting Puerto Rico, Florida, and other US territories. Having joined this agency in September 2017, just when Hurricanes Irma and Maria hit Puerto Rico and Florida hard, Kaniewski played an active role.

He worked to shift the agency’s focus from response to teaching vulnerable communities how they could bolster infrastructure and prepare residents so that disaster would cause less disruption in their lives. Additionally, he assisted states in passing legislation giving more funding for updating disaster-response plans as well as covering administrative costs associated with responding to an incident.

Today he serves as Marsh McLennan Companies Managing Director for Public Sector where he leads enterprise-wide initiatives that offer innovative approaches and approaches for public sector challenges.

Professional Career

Daniel Kaniewski is an international risk and resilience leader. He provides expert guidance to governments and Fortune 500 clients regarding resilience policies and programs, drawing upon his extensive expertise. Previously a Deputy Administrator for Resilience at FEMA and member of President George W. Bush’s White House staff (where he helped lead response efforts for domestic incidents), Daniel currently works at Marsh McLennan as their Managing Director, Public Sector.

In this episode, Brooke discusses with Dan some of the most devastating disasters in American history and their treatment by government agencies and individuals. Dan offers invaluable insight into emergency management success: particularly how humans react during times of distress and decide what action should be taken during times of crisis.

Achievement and Honors

Dan was an attentive father, grandfather, husband and brother who loved football, baseball, polish food, beer and country music – especially his grandchildren who considered him the best grandpa around! Dan enjoyed working out too – regularly doing push ups in his yard or on his lunch break!

He held positions such as Special Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Senior Director for Response Policy during George W. Bush’s Administration, co-founding the Homeland Security Policy Institute. Additionally, he held roles at FEMA, the Congressional Fire Services Institute, and Capitol Hill.

Before joining Marsh & McLennan Companies in February 2020, Kaniewski served as Deputy Administrator for Protection and National Preparedness at FEMA; his duties included leading their pre-disaster programs and serving as FEMA’s second ranking official. On September 14th 2017, he was unanimously confirmed by the Senate.

Personal Life

Kaniewski worked to shift FEMA’s focus away from responding to disasters after they occurred and toward teaching communities how to prevent or prepare for them. He worked to pass legislation allowing states to use federal funds as preventive measures before disaster struck; his approach was more policy-oriented and academic, earning him praise as someone supportive during times of crisis.

Early in his career, he served as Vice President for Global Resilience at AIR Worldwide – a catastrophe risk modeling and consulting services firm – before being named Senior Fellow at the Center for Cyber & Homeland Security where he provided thought leadership on homeland security and emergency management topics. Furthermore, he served as Mission Area Director for Resilience & Emergency Preparedness/Response within a federally funded research and development center supporting Department of Homeland Security research activities.

Net Worth

Kaniewski owns 15,084 units of VMI stock worth $2,546,179 according to his most recent Form 4 filing with the SEC as of 14 March 2023, worth a total value of $2.546.6179 as of 14 March 2023. Since joining VMI he’s made 34 trades with VMI shares; exercising 38381 units worth over $6.18M on December 5th 2019.

Kaniewski served as FEMA’s Deputy Administrator for Resiliency from 2017-20. Additionally, he is an active participant in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) High Level Risk Forum with 36 countries represented among risk managers – his insights on public sector risk management are highly sought after.