Alexandra Travis currently serves as Chief Administrative Officer. In this role, she leads a team of more than 160 professionals in the delivery of a diverse portfolio of business administrative services designed to equip and protect the FEMA workforce, strategically plan and manage seven million square feet of owned and leased real property, and provide transparency to the American public through records management and oversight of Freedom of Information Act responses.
Prior to this role, she served as FEMA's Deputy Director of the Office of External Affairs (OEA), overseeing the federally coordinated communication efforts of more than 200 disasters and emergencies. Under her leadership, the office was reorganized to create a proactive and coordinated forward-leaning communication and engagement team.
Ms. Travis joined FEMA as a Cadre of On-call Response Employee in 2005. Since, she has assumed positions of increased responsibility, ranging from news desk manager to public affairs director. In 2011 she established the Strategic Communication Division and served as its director for six years. In her role as Strategic Communication Division Director, Ms. Travis established proactive planning and coordination to implement communication strategies and produce materials for stakeholder audiences in support of Agency policies and initiatives.
Before joining FEMA, Ms. Travis worked for the American Red Cross as the Deputy Director for Preparedness at the Northeast Florida Chapter, and the Director of Volunteer Services for the Rappahannock Area Chapter. In these roles, she served as a national spokesperson and rapid response team member and developed volunteer training programs for spontaneous volunteers. She also created and refined several award-winning preparedness programs.
Over the past 15 years, Alexandra Travis worked the most severe disasters to impact the American people. From coordinating aid for the 2004 Hurricane season with the American Red Cross to deploying to Puerto Rico for FEMA in the aftermath of the first category 4 hurricane to strike that island since 1925, Alexandra Travis has held positions in emergency management ranging from conducting damage assessments with survivors to coordinating messaging with stakeholders on behalf of the Federal Government.
Alexandra holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland, a Master of Business Administration degree from Golden Gate University, and a Certificate in Leadership from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.