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Solomon Center Welcomes Former FEMA Head for Talk on Disaster Preparedness and Health

A speaker sitting before a microphone in front of a chalkboard
Deanne B. Criswell was the Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator.

The Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy hosted a conversation with Deanne B. Criswell, the 12th administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the first woman to serve in the role. The Oct. 30 event was moderated by Solomon Center Faculty Director and Alfred M. Rankin Professor of Law Abbe R. Gluck ’00, who served in the Biden Administration as lead counsel for the Covid response. In that capacity, Gluck worked closely with FEMA and related agencies.

Criswell began by reflecting on her early days in emergency management and long tenure in public service. In addition to her time at FEMA between 2021 and 2025, Criswell held positions as Commissioner of the New York City Emergency Management Department, Emergency Manager for the city of Aurora, Colorado, and a member of the Colorado Air National Guard. She underlined that having the self-confidence to take personal and professional risks proved essential to shaping the arc of her career.

A classroom full of people watching and listened to two people seated at the front of the room
The audience listens to the conversation between former FEMA Administrator Deanne B. Criswell, left, and Professor Abbe Gluck. 

Criswell then delved into her experience leading FEMA throughout the Biden Administration. She emphasized that disaster response — the most visible part of FEMA’s work — represents only a fraction of what the agency does. Much of FEMA’s responsibility lies in reimbursing states, municipalities, tribes, and territories for the significant expenses incurred in responding to disasters such as hurricanes and pandemics. For decades, these funds have provided an essential lifeline to local communities across the country in some of their moments of greatest need.

Criswell further stressed how critical it is for local, state, and federal leaders to build close partnerships with one another to ensure they are ready before catastrophe strikes. She pointed to several instances in which the personal relationships she had built with Republican and Democratic governors had allowed FEMA to help states both gird for disaster and streamline recovery efforts.

The event concluded with audience questions on a range of topics, including the need for government to find innovative ways to incentivize private insurers to continue providing flood and fire insurance as the earth’s climate changes, the impact of online misinformation on FEMA’s recovery efforts, and various approaches to quickly erecting post-disaster housing for people who need it.

About the Solomon Center

The Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy at Yale Law School is the first of its kind to focus on the intersection of law and the governance, practice, and business of health care. The center brings together leading experts and practitioners from the public and private sectors to address cutting-edge questions of health law and policy, and to train the next generation of top health lawyers, industry leaders, policymakers, and academics.