Peter Thomas Gaynor (born 1958) is an American Certified Emergency Manager who served briefly as acting

Secretary of Homeland Security The United States secretary of homeland security is the head of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the federal department tasked with ensuring public safety in the United States. The secretary is a member of the Cabinet of the U ...

under President Trump. Gaynor previously served as administrator 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). He was appointed as Acting Administrator by President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

on March 8, 2019, and became Administrator on January 16, 2020. Gaynor assumed the role of Acting

on January 12, 2021, upon the resignation of Chad Wolf. Gaynor was succeeded as Acting DHS Secretary by

David Pekoske David Peter Pekoske (born May 5, 1955) is an American government official and retired U.S. Coast Guard vice admiral who has served as the seventh administrator of the Transportation Security Administration in the United States Department of Hom ...

on January 20, 2021, after President Biden's inauguration.

Education

Gaynor, who grew up in Warwick, Rhode Island, graduated from

Pilgrim High School Pilgrim High School (also known as Pilgrim, or PHS) is a suburban high school in the Pilgrim Park neighborhood of Warwick, Rhode Island. The school is single-storied and features multiple hallways for specific subjects. Multiple renovations occu ...

in 1977, and subsequently enlisted in the Marine Corps. He later attended

Community College of Rhode Island The Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) is a public community college in Rhode Island. It is the only community college in the state and the largest community college in New England. The college's primary facility is located in Warwick, with ...

from 1982 to 1984, and Rhode Island College from 1984 to 1986, graduating with a BA in History. While in the Marines, he earned an MA in National Security and Strategic Studies from the

U.S. Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associat ...

in 2001. He completed the Executive Leaders Program 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 2013.

Career

Gaynor served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 26 years, retiring with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was the executive officer responsible for the security of

Camp David Camp David is the country retreat for the president of the United States of America. It is located in the wooded hills of Catoctin Mountain Park, in Frederick County, Maryland, near the towns of Thurmont and Emmitsburg, about north-northwe ...

; was the head of Plans, Policy, and Operations at the Headquarters, Marine Corps, during the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

; and deployed with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force where he coordinated combat operations in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, for multinational and Marine forces. From March 2008 to December 2014, Gaynor was the director of the

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security. A colleague there describes him as being prepared for anything and respectful of the chain of command because of his military experience. From January 2015 to October 2018, Gaynor was the director of the

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA). During that time, RIEMA responded to numerous small and large disasters, including one presidentially declared disaster and at least seven pre-existing active federal disasters. Gaynor oversaw response and recovery efforts to blizzards, floods, tropical storms and public health emergencies. He also coordinated evacuations, mass care, special events, and school safety.

FEMA

Acting Secretary Gaynor Participates in an Inauguration Brief with Vice President Pence

Gaynor was confirmed by the Senate on October 11, 2018, as the deputy administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). On March 8, 2019, when Administrator Brock Long returned to the private sector, Gaynor became acting administrator. Gaynor was in charge of the agency's recovery efforts for many disasters, including the

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 ...

, tornado outbreaks, severe storms, flooding in the Midwest and the Puerto Rico earthquakes. On January 14, 2020, the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

confirmed Gaynor as administrator with a vote of 81 to 8. He was sworn in two days later.

Acting Secretary

With the resignation of Chad Wolf in January 2021, Gaynor became the acting

on January 12, 2021.

References

External links

Peter T. Gaynor biography
at FEMA * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaynor, Pete 1958 births Community College of Rhode Island alumni Federal Emergency Management Agency officials Living people Naval War College alumni Rhode Island College alumni Trump administration cabinet members United States Marine Corps officers