FEMA - 25592 - Photograph by Bill Koplitz taken on 08-10-2006 in District of Columbia

Harvey Elwood Johnson Jr., retired Vice Admiral,

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

, is the President of Humanitarian Services for the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...

. Previously, Johnson was the former Vice President for National Preparedness and Response Solutions at BAE Systems and Deputy Administrator and Chief Operating Officer of the

Federal Emergency Management Agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Exec ...

(FEMA).

Early life

Johnson received a Bachelor of Science degree at the

U.S. Coast Guard Academy The United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) is a service academy of the United States Coast Guard in New London, Connecticut. Founded in 1876, it is the smallest of the five U.S. service academies and provides education to future Coast G ...

in 1975, and an

M.S. A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

at the

Naval Postgraduate School The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is a public graduate school operated by the United States Navy and located in Monterey, California. It offers master’s and doctoral degrees in more than 70 fields of study to the U.S. Armed Forces, DOD ci ...

in 1983, and a Master of Science in Management from the

MIT Sloan School of Management The MIT Sloan School of Management (MIT Sloan or Sloan) is the business school of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT Sloan offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs, ...

as a

Sloan Fellow The Sloan Fellows program is the world's first mid-career and senior career master's degree in general management and leadership. It was initially supported by a grant from Alfred P. Sloan, the late CEO of General Motors, to his alma mater, MI ...

in 1993.

Career

Coast Guard career

Johnson began his career as a deck watch officer aboard the USCGC ''Steadfast'' (WMEC-623). He then earned his

Naval Aviator Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier-based a ...

wings in 1977. He flew the HH-52A helicopter at Coast Guard Air Station Houston, the HH-3F at Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak, the HH-65A in Brooklyn and Corpus Christi, and the HH-60J in San Diego. Staff assignments included: Aviation Assignment Officer in the Office of Personnel and Training; Program Reviewer and Analyst within the Office of the Chief of Staff; Deputy Chief, Programs Division within the Office of the Chief of Staff; and, member of the Streamlining Team. Johnson assumed the duties of Commander, Pacific Area in June 2004. The Area of Operations for the Pacific Area encompasses over 73 million square miles west of the Rocky Mountains and throughout the Pacific Basin to the Far East. Prior to this assignment, he was the Commander, Seventh Coast Guard District and served as the Director,

Homeland Security Homeland security is an American national security term for "the national effort to ensure a homeland that is safe, secure, and resilient against terrorism and other hazards where American interests, aspirations, and ways of life can thrive" to ...

Task Force-Southeast, where he directed Operation Able Sentry, the DHS response to the crisis in Haiti. In addition to these duties, Johnson served as the Executive Director of the Coast Guard's transition into the Department of Homeland Security, Director of Operations Capability, and Director of Operations Policy. Prior to promotion to flag rank in 2001, Johnson served as the Executive Assistant to the Commandant of the Coast Guard. Other assignments included: Commanding Officer of Air Station Brooklyn, and concurrently as Commanding Officer of Air Station San Diego and Commander, Activities San Diego. Johnson also served as a fellow at the

Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group The Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group (SSG) was established by Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Thomas B. Hayward in 1981. The Group was co-located at the United States Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, and received its ...

in Newport, Rhode Island.

FEMA career

On April 6, 2006 Homeland Security Secretary

Michael Chertoff Michael Chertoff (born November 28, 1953) is an American attorney who was the second United States Secretary of Homeland Security to serve under President George W. Bush. Chertoff also served for one additional day under President Barack Obama. H ...

announced the appointment of Vice Admiral Johnson as FEMA deputy director. On September 7, 2007 President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

announced his intention to nominate Johnson to serve in his administration as Deputy Administrator and Chief Operating Officer of the Federal Emergency Management Agency at the Department of Homeland Security.

Achievements

After joining FEMA in the Spring of 2006, VADM Johnson spearheaded then-Administrator R. David Paulison's initiative to create a clear mission statement and execute his (Paulison's) vision for a "New FEMA." With the full support of the White House and Department of Homeland Security, Johnson executed a series of assessments of the current status of FEMA from top to bottom following the much publicized failures after Hurricane Katrina. Requiring a "business approach to FEMA," Johnson helped turn the Agency around, and greatly improved both its internal and external operations. Just three years after Katrina, FEMA received high marks from detractors such as Rep.

Bennie Thompson Bennie Gordon Thompson (born January 28, 1948) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 1993. A member of the Democratic Party, Thompson has been the chair of the Committee on Homeland Security since 2019 and from ...

(D-MS) and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Chairmen of FEMA's oversight committees in Congress for performance in recent hurricanes such as Gustav and Ike, flooding in the midwest and severe winter storms in the northeast. In January, 2009, Johnson's public service career ended with his retirement from government service.

Criticism

On October 24, 2007, FEMA announced a news conference about the recent

California wildfires This is a partial and incomplete list of California wildfires. California has dry, windy, and often hot weather conditions from spring through late autumn that can produce moderate to severe wildfires. Pre-1800, when the area was much more for ...

. But with no reporters on hand and an agency video camera providing a feed, carried live by some television networks, FEMA press employees posed as reporters and asked the questions for Deputy Administrator Johnson. Two days later, Johnson admitted that the press conference had been staged, saying, "We can and must do better, and apologize for this error in judgment." * A spokeswoman for Homeland Security Secretary

, who has authority over FEMA, called the incident "inexcusable and offensive to the secretary". * The White House was not happy with FEMA's response. "It is not a practice that we would employ here at the White House", said Press Secretary

Dana Perino Dana Marie Perino (born May 9, 1972) is an American political commentator and author who served as the 26th White House Press Secretary, under President George W. Bush from September 14, 2007, to January 20, 2009. She was the second female Whit ...

, mentioning three times that it was an "error in judgment". "It's not something I would have condoned, and they, I'm sure, will not do it again." * On Monday October 29, 2007 John "Pat" Philbin, the former director of external affairs for FEMA, took responsibility for the

fake press conference. “I should have cancelled it quickly. I did not have good situational awareness of what was happening,” he told CBS News. Philbin had previously planned to retire on Friday (October 26, 2007) before this situation came about. * Johnson received criticism for choosing to live in a 6200-square-foot, four-bedroom, four-bath home located in the prestigious upscale beachfront gated community of Cocoplum in Coral Gables at a cost to the taxpayer of $116,000 per year in lease payments rather than taking up residence in the traditional home of the commander of District Seven, "flag quarters", located within the Coast Guard's Richmond Heights housing complex near Metrozoo in South Miami-Dade, at a cost of only $24,000 per year.

Awards

His major decorations include the

Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal The Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal (CGDSM) is a military decoration of the United States Coast Guard that was established 4 August 1949 and is presented to coast guardsmen for "Exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a dut ...

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

(3), the

Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include: * Meritorious Civilian Service Award *Meritorious Service Me ...

(3), the Coast Guard Commendation Medal (2), and the

Coast Guard Achievement Medal The Achievement Medal is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. The Achievement Medal was first proposed as a means to recognize outstanding achievement or meritorious service of military personnel who were not eligible to recei ...

. *

Coast Guard Distinguished Service ribbon

with two award stars * Meritorious Service Medal ribbon

with two award stars *

Coast Guard Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth ...

with award star *

Personal

Johnson is a native of

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

. He is married to the former Janet L. Cronin of Boston, Massachusetts, and they have two children, Jennifer and Scott. He also has one granddaughter, Kaitlin.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Harvey Jr. Year of birth missing (living people) Living people United States Coast Guard Academy alumni United States Naval Aviators United States Coast Guard Aviation Naval Postgraduate School alumni MIT Sloan School of Management alumni United States Coast Guard admirals Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal American Red Cross personnel American chief operating officers