Chamber's Executive Director of Homeland Security Appointed to FEMA Advisory Board

WASHINGTON, D.C. – United States Chamber of Commerce Executive Director of Homeland Security Ann Beauchesne was selected to serve as a member of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Advisory Council. The Council advises the Administrator of FEMA on all matters pertaining to preparedness and emergency management.

"This is the type of leadership that senior members of the Chamber staff regularly provide to the business community and the federal government and I am pleased to see Ann's expertise recognized with this appointment," U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tom Donohue said. "Ann will be a valuable asset for the FEMA Council, providing guidance and insight from her professional background and her work with businesses across the country."

Members of the National Advisory Council are appointed by the Administrator, representing a cross-section of emergency management personnel, law enforcement officials, and homeland security directors from state, local, and tribal governments, private sector, and nongovernmental organizations nationwide.

The Council is being instituted to ensure effective and ongoing coordination of federal preparedness, protection, response, recovery and mitigation for natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters. The Council intends to hold quarterly meetings that will focus specifically on the development and revision of the national preparedness goals, the national preparedness system, the National Incident Management System, and the National Response Plan.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation representing more than 3 million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region.

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