Andrew Velasquez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Andrew Velasquez III
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Former Regional Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Region V | |
| In office 2010 – January 20, 2017 |
|
| President | Barack Obama |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 26, 1968 Chicago, IL |
| Alma mater | Illinois State University Saint Xavier University Naval Postgraduate School |
Andrew Velasquez III is a leader who has helped people and communities prepare for and recover from big emergencies. He used to be a top official for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in a region that included Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. FEMA is a government agency that helps people when disasters happen.
Before working for FEMA, Andrew Velasquez III was in charge of emergency management for the entire state of Illinois. He also led Chicago's office that handles emergencies and communications.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Andrew Velasquez III grew up in Chicago. He believes it's important to guide young people and those who want to work in emergency management.
His parents were from Mexico and Puerto Rico. He went to Lane Technical High School in Chicago. After high school, he joined the U.S. Army Reserve for six years.
While in the Army Reserve, he studied Criminal Justice at Illinois State University. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1993. At the university, he was active in student government. He was also president of the Criminal Justice Association.
He continued his studies at Illinois State University and received a master's degree in Criminal Justice in 1994. He is part of the Sigma Lambda Beta fraternity and is still involved today. In 2010, he was honored by Illinois State University and added to their Alumni Hall of Fame.
He also earned a Master of Business Administration from Saint Xavier University. He completed a special leadership program at the Naval Post Graduate School. This program focused on homeland defense and preparing for radiation emergencies.
Helping Chicago Prepare for Emergencies
Andrew Velasquez III started his career with the Chicago Police Department. He worked there for over 10 years. He managed a division that handled criminal records and fingerprints.
Later, he moved to Chicago's Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC). He became the Managing Deputy for 911 Operations. This meant he helped oversee the city's emergency call system.
Then, Mayor Richard M. Daley chose him to lead the OEMC. In this important role, he was in charge of emergency management, homeland security, and the 911 emergency dispatch.
While at OEMC, he brought in many new tools to help the city. This included a mobile command center for disasters. He also helped install security cameras in the city center. He oversaw the move to a new, modern City Incident Center.
His leadership made Chicago a great example for other cities. Chicago showed how to combine emergency preparedness, homeland security, and 911 communications.
Leading Illinois Emergency Management
From 2007 to 2010, Andrew Velasquez III served as the Director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA). He was also the state's Homeland Security Advisor.
In these roles, he managed Illinois' programs for disaster preparedness, how to respond, nuclear safety, and homeland security. As IEMA Director, he led the efforts to respond to and recover from many large disasters. These included major floods, tornados, ice storms, and a campus shooting. He helped the state get federal help for nine presidentially declared disasters.
FEMA Region V Administrator
In 2010, President Barack Obama appointed Andrew Velasquez III to be the FEMA Administrator for Region V. In this job, he helped deliver federal disaster aid for many emergencies.
He also started important projects to make the region more ready for disasters. He focused on using technology and data to improve how FEMA responds and recovers. He also worked on helping individuals and communities prepare for all kinds of threats.
Andrew Velasquez III led the creation of a detailed plan. This plan was for what to do if an improvised nuclear device exploded in a big city. This plan involved FEMA, the states of Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, and the city of Chicago.
He also played a key role in FEMA's support for NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) events. NATO is a group of countries that work together for safety.
In 2012, he was a main speaker at a NATO seminar in Brussels. He talked about how the U.S. planned for the NATO summit in Chicago that year. This helped other countries plan for their own big events.
In 2015, he gave another important speech at a NATO seminar in Finland. He talked about FEMA Region V's plans for big earthquakes and nuclear incidents. He explained how this planning helps improve emergency operations.
Andrew Velasquez III also spent six months as the Acting Region IV Administrator. This region covers states like Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. He was responsible for making sure these states were ready for the 2014 Hurricane Season.
Other Important Work
Andrew Velasquez III is also a teacher at the University of Chicago. He teaches classes about managing risks and using technology. He often gives talks at the University of Chicago about homeland security topics. He has also written articles for academic journals.
He has been inducted into the Illinois State University Alumni Hall of Fame. He has also been featured in alumni magazines from St. Xavier and Illinois State University.
Images for kids
-
Andrew Velasquez III
