The head of FEMA is currently Karen Evans, who has led the Federal Emergency Management Agency since December 1, 2025. She holds the title “Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Administrator,” meaning she runs the agency on a temporary basis without Senate confirmation. No permanent nominee has been submitted to the Senate as of early 2026. The Administrator sits atop a workforce of more than 20,000 people, advises the President during emergencies, and directs billions of dollars in disaster relief.
Who Karen Evans Is
Evans came into the role from inside FEMA, where she had served as Chief of Staff. Before that, she held senior technology and cybersecurity posts across the federal government, including Chief Information Officer at the Department of Homeland Security and Assistant Secretary at the Department of Energy. Her background leans toward government efficiency and IT modernization rather than career emergency management.
She is the third person to lead FEMA under the current administration. Cameron Hamilton served as acting administrator starting in January 2025 and was removed in May 2025 after telling Congress publicly that he opposed eliminating the agency. David Richardson took over briefly before Evans stepped in.
How the Administrator Is Appointed
Federal law requires the FEMA Administrator to be “appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.”1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 6 USC 313 – Federal Emergency Management Agency The President submits a nominee, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs holds a hearing and votes, and a simple majority on the Senate floor confirms the pick. The same committee handles the two Deputy Administrator nominations, which also require confirmation.
In practice, the process often stalls. Nominations get delayed, and hearings can be pushed back for months, leaving FEMA under acting or temporary leadership. The current gap, with no nominee submitted at all, is unusually long heading into peak disaster season.
When someone runs the agency without confirmation, the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998 generally limits acting service to 210 days, with the clock resetting if a nomination is submitted.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 3346 – Time Limitation The “Senior Official Performing the Duties” title Evans holds is a separate designation sometimes used to work around those time limits, and the Government Accountability Office has questioned whether that arrangement complies with the statute.3U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Department of Homeland Security – Legality of Service of Acting Secretary of Homeland Security and Service of Senior Official Performing the Duties of Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security
What the Law Says About Qualifications
After Hurricane Katrina, Congress passed the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 to set a professional floor for future Administrators. By statute, a nominee must have:
- A demonstrated ability in and knowledge of emergency management and homeland security.
- At least five years of executive leadership and management experience in the public or private sector.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 6 USC 313 – Federal Emergency Management Agency
These requirements apply to the confirmed Administrator. When someone serves in an acting capacity or under the “Senior Official Performing the Duties” title, the same statutory qualifications do not necessarily bind the selection.
What the Head of FEMA Actually Does
The Post-Katrina reform law defines the Administrator’s mission as reducing loss of life and property from all hazards through a national emergency management system covering prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery.4FEMA.gov. Office of the Administrator The job splits into a few concrete responsibilities.
Reviewing Disaster Declarations
When a governor decides a disaster has outstripped state and local resources, the governor asks the President for a major disaster declaration. The Administrator reviews the request, weighs damage, available state resources, insurance coverage, and recent disaster history, and recommends whether federal assistance is warranted.5eCFR. 44 CFR Part 206 – Federal Disaster Assistance The governor must certify that state and local spending will meet cost-sharing requirements before a declaration can issue.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 5170 – Procedure for Declaration
Directing the Disaster Relief Fund
Once the President declares a disaster, the Administrator controls how money moves out of the Disaster Relief Fund, which Congress appropriates in the billions. That money pays for debris removal, temporary housing, infrastructure repair, and individual assistance grants. The Administrator also oversees the Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration, which runs the National Flood Insurance Program.
National Preparedness and the Regions
FEMA’s ten regional offices cover all 50 states, U.S. territories, and tribal nations, and they carry out preparedness work on the ground.7FEMA.gov. About Us The Administrator sets national readiness strategy, coordinates risk-based planning across the regions, and manages the grant programs that fund state and local emergency preparedness.
Where the Administrator Fits in the Government
FEMA sits inside the Department of Homeland Security, and the Administrator reports to the DHS Secretary.8FEMA.gov. Organization Budget proposals, major policy decisions, and strategic plans move through DHS before reaching the White House or Congress. The Secretary also has authority to remove acting FEMA leaders, which is what happened to Hamilton in May 2025.
At the same time, the Administrator has a direct line to the President during active disaster response.8FEMA.gov. Organization That dual channel reflects a Katrina-era lesson: communication breakdowns between FEMA and the White House cost lives, and Congress wanted the Administrator close enough to the President to cut through bureaucratic delays.
Salary and Removal
The FEMA Administrator is paid at Level IV of the Executive Schedule, which is set at $197,200 for 2026.9U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Rates of Basic Pay for the Executive Schedule (EX) Effective January 2026 Congressional pay freezes have occasionally held the actual payable rate below the statutory level, and a temporary freeze was in place through late January 2026 under the Continuing Appropriations Act. The Administrator serves at the pleasure of the President, with no fixed term, and can be removed at any time without cause.