Joseph L. Nimmich was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate as the Deputy Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in September of 2014. During his tenure, his primary focus is on strengthening and institutionalizing the Agency’s business architecture over the long term to achieve the FEMA mission.
Under his leadership, the Agency has undertaken a number of efforts, including actively modernizing FEMA’s information technology systems, instituting data analytics to enable evidence-based decision making, enhancing communication, and building a broader and more diverse workforce. In addition, Mr. Nimmich played an instrumental role in establishing and facilitating several Agency governance structures that provide FEMA’s program offices with a practical and collaborative approach to identify inefficiencies and gaps in decision- making, the ability to make decisions strategically and transparently, and in a manner that benefits the organization as a whole.
Mr. Nimmich joined FEMA in 2013, as the Associate Administrator for the Office of Response and Recovery. He was responsible for directing the Response, Recovery, and Logistics Directorates, as well as the Office of Federal Disaster Coordination. Additionally, he was responsible for coordinating and synchronizing all of FEMA Headquarters’ operational response activities during major disasters and/or emergency activations.
Prior to joining FEMA, Mr. Nimmich was the Director of Maritime Surveillance and Security at the Raytheon Corporation, where he directed maritime surveillance and security operations, as well as their emergency response capabilities. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard for more than 33 years, retiring as a Rear Admiral. His Coast Guard assignments included the First Coast Guard District based in Boston, Massachusetts, where he was responsible for all Coast Guard operations across eight states in the northeast and 2,000 miles of coastline from the U.S.-Canadian border to northern New Jersey.
Mr. Nimmich earned his Master’s in Business Administration from the Stern School of Business at New York University and holds a Master’s Degree in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in History and Government from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.