Colt Hagmaier has started a new role as Chief Counsel (A) at FEMA, a move he announced on LinkedIn. With an extensive career in emergency management and legal counsel, Hagmaier brings nearly two decades of experience in federal disaster response and recovery law to his new role.
Prior to this, Hagmaier served as the Assistant Administrator for Recovery at FEMA, where he led a workforce of approximately 10,000 employees across six divisions, managing an annual budget exceeding $150 million. In this role, he oversaw FEMA’s post-disaster recovery programs, including Public Assistance and Individual Assistance, and directed the administration of over $15 billion in grants annually. His leadership extended to the oversight of major claims programs, such as the $4 billion Hermits Peak Calf Canyon Claims Office.
Hagmaier’s 13-year tenure at FEMA has included multiple senior leadership roles, including Deputy Assistant Administrator for Recovery and Associate Chief Counsel for Response and Recovery. As Associate Chief Counsel, he led a legal team providing counsel on all aspects of federal disaster operations, response coordination, and litigation affecting hundreds of millions of dollars in federal aid. He also played a key role in legal oversight of FEMA’s COVID-19 response and multiple executive orders issued during the pandemic.
He also served as Counselor to the Secretary of Homeland Security in 2021, where he provided counsel on all emergency management-related matters, including response to and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, Operation Allies Welcome, and humanitarian support to the Southwest Border. In this role, he was instrumental in negotiating workforce policy changes benefiting tens of thousands of Transportation Security Administration employees
Beyond FEMA, Hagmaier has served as an ex officio member of the Board of Directors at the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster for the past three years. Previously, he spearheaded Harvard University’s Emergency Management Program, serving as its first Emergency Manager, in addition to serving as a Judicial Law Clerk in Virginia’s 23rd Judicial Circuit, and a Governor’s Fellow in Virginia’s Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security.
Hagmaier holds a Juris Doctorate from Washington and Lee University School of Law, a master’s degree in emergency management from Anna Maria College, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia. He is a graduate of the Senior Executive Fellows program at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and the Department of Homeland Security’s Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program delivered through American University’s School of Public Affairs.