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, 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 (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 as a Sloan Fellow 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 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 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 Michael Chertoff, 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 White ...

, 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 John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, 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,

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 (3), the Coast Guard Commendation Medal (2), and the Coast Guard Achievement Medal. *

Coast Guard Distinguished Service ribbon

Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal * Legion of Merit ribbon

with two award stars * Meritorious Service Medal ribbon

Meritorious Service Medal with two award stars *

Coast Guard Commendation Medal with award star *

Coast Guard Achievement Medal

Personal

Johnson is a native of Tampa, Florida. 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