Original Source: Montgomery Advertiser
Jeff Byard, of Prattville, has been nominated by President Donald Trump to be the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Byard first came to FEMA in September 2018 during the agency’s build up for the response to Hurricane Florence. He currently serves as the associate administrator for the Office of Response and Recovery for FEMA.
He is a graduate of Prattville High School and has a lengthy career in emergency management in both the public and private sectors. Byard, 46, served with the Alabama Emergency Management Agency as the mitigation division planner beginning in 2002. He worked his way up to executive operations officer. He worked with the state agency when Long served as its director. He and his wife, Sara, have four daughters. The family lives in the Washington, D.C. area.
In an earlier interview when he first went to FEMA, he said his background helps him in the job.
“My heart is in Alabama and Prattville,” he said then. “That’s where I got my values. Growing up in Prattville gave me the ability to stay grounded.”
Byard’s nomination requires Senate approval. He is the younger brother of Jim Byard Jr., former mayor of Prattville and the head of ADECA under the Bentley administration.
