James Stark
Assistant Administrator for Gulf Coast Recovery
James W. Stark is the Assistant Administrator for Gulf Coast Recovery. He provides oversight and coordination for the federal response to the devastation resulting from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In this role he works in regular partnership with state and local officials, as he has since June 2006 when he was appointed Director of the Louisiana Transitional Recovery Office.
Mr. Stark became involved with the Gulf Coast federal response as Chief of Staff for the Gulf Coast Recovery Office in March 2006. For the first few months after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, he worked in marine salvage, directing ship and barge salvage operations in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.
Before coming to FEMA, Mr. Stark served 28 years in the U.S. Coast Guard. As an officer, he worked in a variety of roles around the Southeast U.S. As Chief of Staff for the Eighth Coast Guard District in New Orleans, he managed and led operations across the Gulf of Mexico and in its inland waterways. As Chief of Operations for the Seventh Coast Guard District in Miami, he directed search and rescue and homeland security missions throughout the waters of the Southeast U.S. and Caribbean.
At Coast Guard Headquarters, Mr. Stark was made Chief of the Drug Interdiction Division. In this role, he participated in the development of international agreements with Caribbean nations to curb maritime drug smuggling. He also served as Coast Guard Group Commander in Mobile.
Mr. Stark earned his Bachelor of Science Degree at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and is also a graduate of the National War College. He received a Master of Business Administration from the College of William and Mary.
A Gulf Coast resident for over a decade, Mr. Stark lives in New Orleans with his wife Elaine and four children.
Last Modified: Thursday, 09-Oct-2008 14:24:53 EDT