Mr. Byard currently serves as Associate Administrator for Response and Recovery at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In this role, Mr. Byard serves as FEMA’s senior-most executive over disaster response, recovery, logistics, and field operations. Prior to joining FEMA, Mr. Byard served in several capacities with the Alabama Emergency Management Agency, most recently as executive operations officer with responsibility for response, recovery, and field operations. On multiple occasions, Mr. Byard led operations for the State of Alabama, including during the country’s first large-scale state evacuation during Hurricane Gustav, response and recovery operations for the Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill, and other significant disasters such as the 2011 Super Outbreak, the largest, costliest, and one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks ever recorded. Mr. Byard served honorably in the United States Marine Corps from 1990 to 1994. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Troy University.