Jeffrey Readinger has joined the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as Chief of the Field Resources Branch within the Public Assistance Division, where he now leads a team responsible for helping communities recover from major disasters and federal emergencies. He shared news of the new role on LinkedIn over the weekend.
In his new position, Readinger is charged with overseeing strategic field resource management, coordinating with federal partners, and ensuring the effective deployment of personnel and support to state, local, tribal, territorial governments, and eligible nonprofit organizations. The branch focuses on disaster recovery efforts ranging from debris removal and emergency protective measures to restoring critical infrastructure.
Readinger brings to FEMA over two decades of experience in public service and legislative affairs, including an extensive career at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. From 2004 to mid-2025, he served as Director of the DHS Office of Legislative Affairs, where he represented numerous senior leaders and offices within the Department, ranging from Science and Technology to Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, before Congress.
His background includes roles as a legislative specialist for the Navy’s submarine program, a registered lobbyist for the American Shipbuilding Association, and a congressional aide in both the U.S. House and Senate. Across these positions, he built a reputation for navigating complex legislative environments, building bipartisan coalitions, and advocating for critical funding and national security priorities. Readinger also served in the U.S. Marine Corps during Operations Desert Shield and Storm.
A graduate of the U.S. Naval War College with distinction, Readinger also holds a master’s in political management from George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and political science from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
(AI was used in part to facilitate this article.)
