FEMA director learned leadership in Alachua

ALACHUA – When a natural disaster strikes, so does Craig Fugate.

Fugate has been on the hot seat under pressure of quick action when Mother Nature hits since President Barack Obama nominated him in March 2009.

Born in Jacksonville, the appointed Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) director was prepared by the skills and knowledge he began acquiring in his high school days in the city of Alachua.

The 1977 Santa Fe High School graduate was appointed FFA chapter reporter in his senior year.

He pitched ideas to local media on a regular basis for news articles relating to the Santa Fe FFA chapter.

He was handpicked by advisers as the chapter reporter due to his ability to communicate with the public.

FFA is a vocational student organization involved in the agriculture industry that helps develop student leadership skills and prepares students to be confident and involved in agriculture in Florida, the nation and the world, said Larry Reese, Fugate’s former vocational agriculture teacher at Santa Fe High School.

Fugate developed a good foundation through his leadership skills gained through the FFA, said Chuck Clemons, former Santa Fe High student and FFA member.

It helped him make sound decisions in the heat of chaotic situations.

Fugate took particular interest with parliamentary procedure, a method of conducting a business meeting in a prescribed fashion to maintain order, Reese said.

Fugate is a deep-thinking individual with a dry sense of humor, Clemons said. He jokes with a straight face.

He was focused on what he was doing and whatever task he had undertaken, said Bud Riviere, another of Fugate’s former teachers. He was a dependable student.

Fugate thrived on organization and did not tolerate inconsistencies, Reese said.

It was hard to miss the senior standing at about 6’2” with square-shaped glasses.

Forty years later, the people who have known him for a long time would say he hasn’t changed. His demeanor remains serious with a strict sense of leadership.

After high school he attended Santa Fe College. Upon completion of college, Fugate became a volunteer firefighter, then a paramedic and lieutenant for the Alachua County Fire Rescue.

Fugate served as the emergency manager for Alachua County for about 10 years. He was responsible for all local emergency response efforts. That effort included delivery of food, water and ice to disaster victims. But the process involved more than just delivery of much needed items, it also required that large quantities of food are broken down and mixed with other food products in local kitchens and provided to the public in mass feedings rather than disseminated in large containers to individuals, Reese said.

Fugate was also appointed bureau chief for preparedness and response for the Florida Division of Emergency Management. His position was to manage the state’s response to disasters and coordinate with FEMA and other federal agencies.

During the time Fugate served as the director of the State of Florida Division of Emergency Management, he also was Florida’s coordinating officer for 11 presidentially declared disasters.

It was under his leadership that four hurricanes devastated areas of Florida in 2004: Hurricanes Charlie, Francis, Ivan and Jeanne. Florida was struck again in 2005 with three hurricanes that touched land: Dennis, Katrina and Wilma.

Also, under Fugate’s leadership, the Florida FEMA program became the first statewide emergency management program in the nation to be awarded full accreditation from the Emergency Management Accreditation Program.

It was this hands-on training that caught the attention of President Barack Obama when nominating Fugate as the FEMA administrator.

Former Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Fugate’s management of Florida’s hurricane seasons was a testament to his qualifications as head of FEMA.

Clemons said Fugate is the most qualified director he has seen in over 30 years, having honed his skills on the dozens of tropical storms and hurricanes that impacted Florida.

In a 2009 interview with Alachua County Today, Fugate attributed his successful leadership skills to his small town upbringing.

More recently, in May 2013, Fugate was a guest speaker at Santa Fe College’s commencement ceremony.

“American people are fortunate to have someone of his caliber leading FEMA,” Clemons said.

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