Nancy Dragani

Nancy Dragani is the Regional Administrator for FEMA Region 8. Ms. Dragani leads and coordinates all activities in support of FEMA’s mission with the states of Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming, and also with the 29 federally recognized tribes within the region. This is Ms. Dragani’s third time serving in the Acting Regional Administrator role. She previously served in the position from January to July of 2021 and from April 2016 to November 2017.

From July 6 to December 13, 2021, Ms. Dragani served as the Senior Official Performing the Duties of Deputy Administrator for FEMA. During this time, she assisted Administrator Deanne Criswell with leading FEMA in helping people before, during, and after disasters while also supporting the development of the agency’s 2022-2026 Strategic Plan.

Ms. Dragani joined FEMA and was appointed as the FEMA Region 8 Deputy Regional Administrator in January 2016. In this position, her responsibilities included oversight for the operational aspects of regional disaster response, recovery, mitigation and preparedness activities in Region 8.

Prior to joining FEMA, Ms. Dragani worked for the Ohio Emergency Management Agency for 20 years, where she was the Executive Director from 2005 to 2014. There, she led the state's coordinated preparedness and response to both man-made and natural disasters while overseeing disaster recovery and mitigation efforts.

In 2004, Ms. Dragani retired from the Ohio National Guard with 22 years of combined U.S. Army, Army National Guard, and Air National Guard service.

In addition to her roles in state and federal government, Ms. Dragani has served on FEMA’s National Advisory Council and the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism Advisory Board. She also held the position of President of the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA) from 2008 to 2009 and was the 2014 recipient of NEMA’s Lacy E. Suiter Distinguished Service Award, an award given annually to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to emergency management.

Ms. Dragani has a Master of Arts from the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security, where she graduated from the Executive Leadership program. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ohio Dominican College.