Daniel Kaniewski is the Managing Director at Marsh McLennan and an American government official who served as the acting deputy administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He also served as the deputy administrator of FEMA for Resilience. In this episode, Daniel recalls the impact that 9/11 had on his personal and professional life and how it strengthened his resolve to increase the country’s preparation for catastrophic events. He shares the hurdles he has faced along the way, the role of luck and risk in every step of his career, and highlights the opportunities that response readiness and resilience have to offer young professionals today.

Key Takeaways:

• Daniel highlights his role at Marsh and reveals his disaster resilience guru status.

• Daniel’s unusual pathway into risk management started with a volunteer firefighter paramedic who wanted to figure out how to reduce losses in the first place.

• After maxing out his EMT certifications and education, Daniel turned to a Ph.D. in public policy.

• An internship on Capitol Hill led Daniel to support the Gilmore Commission, where he worked to increase first responders' preparation for terrorist attacks.

• In a post-9/11 world, policymaker interest has shifted dramatically in favor of proactive training against acts of terrorism.

• The personal and professional impact of 9/11 on Daniel’s life and work.

• Watching the Pentagon take fire from the Capitol Building was a surreal moment, especially after learning that the Capitol Building was the likely target of Flight 93.

• Daniel’s “why” in the years following 9/11 only strengthened his resolve to continue the work he had been doing in the years prior.

• Hurricane Katrina swung the pendulum from terrorism directly to natural disaster relief.

• Federal departments and missions continue with their work, regardless of presidential administration changes, but their focus may change with each new president.

• Every dollar invested in disaster mitigation saves $13 in physical and economic costs should a disaster occur.

• Daniel was willing to help set up FEMA, as long as he was able to maintain a focus on disaster resilience.

• Local and national governments informing the public about key catastrophic exposure is critical for gaining support for investments in response readiness.

• What prompted Daniel’s shift from the public sector over to Marsh?

• Daniel recalls the professional relationships that have enabled him to take the risks that have made his career so fulfilling.

• Response readiness and resilience are top of mind across the country, and have a place for you!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Daniel on LinkedIn

Marsh McLennan