As the Acting Deputy Regional Administrator, Mr. Randy Meshell supports the Regional Administrator with the direction and leadership of FEMA’s efforts in the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and 68 federally-recognized tribal nations within this geographic area.
Mr. Meshell serves as the Region 6 Federal Preparedness Coordinator in his permanent role. His previous assignments include service as the Deputy Federal Preparedness Coordinator/Deputy Division Director, a Branch Chief for FEMA’s National Preparedness Directorate as well as the Grant Programs Directorate. Mr. Meshell recently completed a detail assignment to FEMA Headquarters as the Director of the National Exercise Division (JAN-MAY ’21). Prior to joining the federal government, Mr. Meshell was a Firefighter and an Assistant Fire Marshal in Oklahoma. He also served as a Major in the Army Reserve, Military Police Corps.
Mr. Meshell is a veteran of both Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Noble Eagle and he has received numerous awards/commendations including the Meritorious Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Star, two- Global War on Terrorism Medals, and the Humanitarian Service Medal. Mr. Meshell earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Cameron University (Lawton, OK) and has completed numerous executive leadership seminars with the Department of Defense.
His operational experience includes responses to the 1995 Alfred P. Murrah building bombing in Oklahoma City, OK; as well as to the Mississippi Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. He has also filled command and tactical operations center assignments while serving in OIF as well as staff operations assignments in support of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike in 2008, Super Bowl 45 in 2011, Hurricanes Isaac, and Sandy in 2012. He supported the opening of the George W. Bush Presidential Center (as a special security event) in 2013. Mr. Meshell was appointed by the Secretary of Homeland Security as the Alternate Federal Coordinator for Super Bowl 51 in 2017. He is an alumnus of FEMA’s 2018 Pinnacle Program and he is a proud member of the Choctaw Apache Tribe of Ebarb, LA.