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Kevin Hannes

Kevin Hannes
Office of Response and Recovery

Team Leader, National IMAT – East

Kevin Hannes was selected in 2016 to serve as the Team Leader on the National Incident Management Assistance Team (N-IMAT) – Red, for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). N-IMAT-Red is based in Sacramento, California and is one of three (3) elite national response teams. In 2019, Hannes was chosen to create and serve as the Team Leader for N-IMAT – White, which will be based in Herndon, Virginia.

As the Team Leader, Kevin is responsible for building, training and equipping an expert team of emergency responders, maintaining close working relationships with regional, state, tribal, and local emergency management officials, federal partners, and the private sector, and planning, training, and exercising in preparation for disaster response.

When his national team is activated, Kevin is appointed as the Federal Coordinating Officer (FCO) and becomes responsible for providing the initial forward federal presence to lead a prompt, effective, coordinated and integrated federal and inter-jurisdictional response in direct support of state, tribal, and local emergency management officials to stabilize the impacted area and set the foundation for a successful recovery.

In addition to serving as the Team Leader for N-IMATs, Kevin was selected in 2019 as the Acting Director for the Operational Coordination Division, which is part of FEMA's Field Operations Directorate.

Kevin joined FEMA in 2009 as an FCO to serve as the representative of the President of the United States, DHS and FEMA during major disasters and emergency declarations. His responsibilities include the executive coordination of federal, tribal, state and local assets and resources required to support the state governors and emergency managers. Kevin has served as the Federal Coordinating Officer for fourteen (14) Major Disaster declarations including Hurricane Harvey, the 2015/16 Texas Flooding and Severe Storms, the West Fertilizer Company explosion in 2013, 2012’s Hurricane Sandy, the 2011 Texas Wildfires. Combined, these disasters totaled more than $5 billion in federal disaster assistance.

Kevin was also appointed to serve as the FCO for several high-profile national events to include 2010’s Deepwater Horizon Gulf Oil Spill for both Texas and Louisiana, 2014 Unaccompanied Children (UAC) Influx along the country’s southwest border, and the 2014 Ebola Response in Texas. As a direct result of his efforts during the UAC mission, Kevin was nominated and selected as a finalist for the Partnership for Public Service Annual Samuel J. Heyman service to America Award.

Prior to his employment with FEMA, Kevin completed a distinguished 23-year naval career, serving in multiple command and staff positions.

Kevin holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas, a master’s degree in Financial Management from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, and attended Executive Education via the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative (NPLI) program from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government in Boston, Massachusetts.