David Ostwind is the Director of the Planning and Exercise Division within the Response Directorate of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In this role, he leads the development and delivery of planning and exercise initiatives to better prepare the nation’s response to natural, man-made, and technological hazards.
Prior to joining FEMA, David served as the Interim Director for International Programs at the U.S. Naval Academy and as the Associate Chair of the Political Science Department. A 25-year veteran of the U.S. Navy and Navy Reserve, David served on destroyers and commanded Navy Reserve Units in addition to a 2008-2009 deployment to Afghanistan as part of an Embedded Training Team supporting the Afghan National Army.
David began his DHS career as a Weapons of Mass Destruction Preparedness Officer assigned to the states of Louisiana, Missouri, and New Mexico. In this role, he assisted in the delivery of homeland security grant funds, planning, training, and exercise support. He later served as a program manager within the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office where he led teams in developing preventive radiological/nuclear detection programs to prevent the trafficking and use of radiological and nuclear materials.
David graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with a bachelor’s degree in political science and has earned master’s degrees from Harvard University, the George Washington University, and the U.S. Naval War College. He is also a graduate of the DHS Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program.