Brian Kamoie was appointed by President Obama as Assistant Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency for Grant Programs in April 2013. In that capacity, he oversees over $17 billion in grant programs to build, sustain, and improve our national capability to prevent, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate terrorism and natural hazards. Mr. Kamoie works regularly with grant recipients in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. Territories; Members of Congress and Congressional staff on authorization and appropriations matters; and national stakeholder organizations. He testified before the United States Senate on port security (June 2014) and military equipment and grants provided to law enforcement (September 2014). He has transformed the Grants Program Directorate, optimized its $50.3 million annual operating budget, and led the 175+ staff to record levels of measurable performance across the grants management lifecycle.
Prior to his appointment, Mr. Kamoie served as Senior Director for Preparedness Policy on the White House National Security Council (NSC) staff from 2009 to 2013. In that role, he led a team of professionals in the development of national policy related to all-hazards preparedness, individual and community resilience, public health and medical preparedness, critical infrastructure protection and resilience, national security/emergency preparedness communications, and preparedness grants. While at the NSC, Mr. Kamoie led the development and implementation of key initiatives, including the Administration’s strategic approach to enhancing national resilience, as reflected in the President’s National Security Strategy; Presidential Policy Directive 8 on National Preparedness, including the first-ever National Preparedness Goal; reauthorization of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act; policies on medical countermeasure development and distribution (e.g., Executive Order (EO) 13527: Medical Countermeasures Following a Biological Attack); biosafety & security (e.g., EO 13486: Strengthening Laboratory Biosecurity); chemical defense; the Global Health Security Agenda; and dual use scientific research.
Mr. Kamoie also played key roles in the response to the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic; Haiti earthquake; Deepwater Horizon oil spill; and Fukushima nuclear emergency. He was recognized by the President’s National Security Advisor for outstanding service as part of the H1N1 pandemic influenza team and Fukushima nuclear emergency team. He briefed national media routinely on Administration homeland security policies and priorities and was profiled on the C-SPAN/Brian Lamb Q&A Program in May 2012.
Before joining the National Security Council staff, Mr. Kamoie served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response and Director of the Office of Policy, Strategic Planning & Communications at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). While at HHS, he played key leadership roles in the development and implementation of key national policies, including the National Response Plan and National Incident Management System, the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza, the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act, the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act, and Homeland Security Presidential Directives. He also supported the development and acquisition of vaccines, drugs, therapeutics, and diagnostic tools for public health and medical emergencies including chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats, pandemic influenza, and emerging infectious diseases.
Prior to his work at HHS, Mr. Kamoie was Associate Professor of Health Policy and Health Services Management and Leadership at The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services. Mr. Kamoie received his bachelor’s degree in policy studies and political science from Dickinson College and a law degree and master’s degrees in public health and political science from The George Washington University, where was managing editor of The George Washington Law Review.