Edward H. Smith

Edward H. (Ed) Smith recently retired from the position of Acting Deputy Superintendent at the Emergency Management Institute (EMI).  Prior to that assignment he served as the Senior Policy Analyst in the Superintendent’s Office In that capacity he helped to ensure that all training reflects current doctrine.

Before coming to EMI he served for two and a half years as the Response Division Director for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region III Office in Philadelphia, PA.  During the course of that assignment he led the preparation for three National Special Security Events and the Response to several blizzards and floods within the Region.

Prior to becoming the Response Division Director, he served for two years as a Federal Coordinating Officer.  As a member of the Federal Coordinating Officer cadre, he served as the Deputy FCO for floods in Ohio and Washington, ice storms in Iowa and Nebraska, and as the FCO for a severe winter storm in Wisconsin and floods in West Virginia.  During the Hurricane Ike response he served as the Area Field Office Director for Houston/Harris County and later as the Chief of Staff for the disaster.

Before joining FEMA, Mr. Smith served as the Homeland Security Advisor for the State of Delaware.  In that capacity he was responsible for all Homeland Security related initiatives and leading the state’s critical infrastructure protection programs.  He also served on the Delaware Fusion Center Governing Board, the state’s Homeland Security Advisory Council, Grants Working Group, and the Area Maritime Security Council for Sector Delaware Bay.

Mr. Smith served in the U.S. Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard for 32 years, before retiring as a Colonel in 2005.  For the last twelve years of his career, he served as Director of Military Support for the Delaware National Guard.  His primary duty in that position was to plan for and coordinate all National Guard emergency response operations.  He led the Guard’s response to hurricanes, blizzards, floods, oil spills, and preparations for Y2K.

His education credentials include a Bachelors of Arts degree in Political Science from Shippensburg State University and a Juris Doctorate degree from Temple University.  He is also a graduate of the U.S. Army War College and the Naval Post Graduate School, Executive Leadership Program.

Mr. Smith is a member of the International Association of Emergency Managers where he served for four years as the co-chair of the Uniformed Services Committee.  He has earned the Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) designation and currently serves as the FEMA representative on the CEM Commission.