event

The Future of FEMA: Lessons From 2025 and What Comes Next

Mon. December 15th, 20251:00 PM - 2:15 PM (EST)
Live Online

Since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, FEMA has experienced intense scrutiny and instability, rotating through three acting administrators and reducing its workforce by nearly 10 percent. On December 12, the FEMA Review Council will release their draft final report, outlining recommendations for overhauling the federal disaster recovery system as a tumultuous year for the agency draws to a close. While President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have called for FEMA’s dissolution, there’s growing doubt that the final report will reflect that assessment. 

What can we expect following the conclusion of the FEMA Review Council’s work? Is there a role for Congress to play in reshaping federal emergency management? How has federal disaster policy shifted over the year? And what is needed to build a trusted, resilient disaster recovery system at the federal, state, and local levels beginning in 2026?

Join Sarah Labowitz, a senior fellow in Carnegie’s Sustainability, Climate, and Geopolitics Program, for a virtual panel discussion with Deanne Criswell, former FEMA administrator (2021-2025); Pete Gaynor, former FEMA administrator (2019-2021); Michael Coen, former FEMA chief of staff (2013-2017 and 2021-2025); and Danielle Aymond, disaster recovery and FEMA funding specialist at Baker Donelson.

Domestic PoliticsClimate ChangeUnited States
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
event speakers
Sarah Labowitz

Sarah Labowitz

Senior Fellow, Sustainability, Climate, and Geopolitics Program

Sarah Labowitz is a senior fellow in the Sustainability, Climate, and Geopolitics Program whose work lies at the intersection of climate, national security, and democracy.

Deanne Criswell

Senior Fellow, Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs

Deanne Criswell is an experienced emergency management professional and served as the 12th administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). She was sworn in as FEMA’s first female Administrator on April 26, 2021, under President Joe Biden, and served until 2025. She is a senior fellow at the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs.

Danielle Aymond 

Danielle Aymond 

Disaster Recovery and FEMA Funding Specialist, Baker Donelson

Danielle Aymond is a disaster recovery and FEMA funding specialist at Baker Donelson, drawing on her service as executive counsel to the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness through five presidentially declared disasters, and her ongoing role as a Judge Advocate in the Louisiana Army National Guard. She advises public and nonprofit subrecipients nationwide on navigating complex federal and state grant frameworks, with a focus on procurement compliance, dispute resolution, and long-term recovery strategy. 

Pete Gaynor

President, Bright Harbor

Pete Gaynor serves as president of Bright Harbor; a company committed to helping disaster survivors navigate the complex landscape of recovery and improve their financial and overall outcomes. He previously served as acting secretary of Homeland Security and administrator of FEMA, overseeing federal responses to more than 300 major disasters, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the most active Atlantic hurricane season on record, and historic wildfires across the West Coast. 

Michael Coen

Former Chief of Staff, FEMA

Michael Coen served as the chief of staff of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from 2013 to 2017 and again from 2021 to 2025.