William E. Peterson
Regional Administrator, Region VI
William E. Peterson was appointed Regional Administrator of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region VI Office in Denton, Texas in January 2006. As Regional Administrator, he is responsible for coordinating FEMA emergency preparedness, mitigation, and disaster response and recovery activities in the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.
Before joining FEMA, Mr. Peterson served as the Fire Chief and Homeland Security Director/Emergency Management Coordinator for the city of Plano, Texas. In that position, he is credited with developing a progressive fire service organization to deliver wide-ranging fire protection and emergency medical services to a rapidly growing metropolitan area. His duties also included responsibility for the oversight and management of the Homeland Security-Emergency Management Program for the community.
Mr. Peterson previously served as the Fire Chief of the city of Waukegan, Ill., where he managed fire department policies, programs and operations for the regional industrial center. He is a Certified Emergency Manager and has published articles on fire safety and emergency management services.
A native of Illinois, Mr. Peterson holds a Master of Arts in Public Administration and Human Relations from Webster University, a Bachelor of Arts in Fire Protection Administration from Lewis University, and an Associates degree in Fire Science from Moraine Valley Community College.
Last Modified: Tuesday, 03-Apr-2007 10:31:32 EDT