Biography

A nationally recognized leader in disaster risk and resilience, Dr. Daniel Kaniewski brings more than 25 years of senior leadership in emergency management and P&C insurance. He provides a unique perspective to clients, policymakers, stakeholders, and the media, drawing on his experience as a FEMA Deputy Administrator, Presidential Advisor, and Marsh U.S. Public Sector Leader.

His approach to disaster risk and resilience is grounded in firsthand experience with some of the nation's most consequential disasters and crises, including 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Maria, and the pandemic. A leading voice on disaster resilience policy, he champions proactive risk reduction and risk transfer.

Today, Dr. Kaniewski advises leaders across the emergency management and insurance industries—from early-stage startups to market-leading firms—on risk, strategy, and growth. He is founder and CEO of Northstar Risk & Resilience and an advisor to Bright Harbor, Juvare/WebEOC, The Resiliency Company, and Zephyr Resilience.

At Marsh, Dr. Kaniewski led the $500 million U.S. Public Sector market across all business lines, delivering integrated risk management, risk transfer, and strategic advisory solutions to federal, state, and local government clients.

From 2017 to 2020, Dr. Kaniewski served as the second-ranking official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). As the agency's first Deputy Administrator for Resilience, he launched the unified suite of disaster resilience programs that are now a cornerstone of FEMA's mission.

Prior to FEMA, Dr. Kaniewski launched the global resilience practice at a leading catastrophe risk modeling firm, directed resilience programs at a government-sponsored research center, and co-founded a homeland security think tank at George Washington University.

In the George W. Bush Administration, he served at the White House as Special Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Senior Director for Response Policy, advising the President on emergency management policy and coordinating more than 200 presidential disaster declarations.

Earlier, he held positions at the Congressional Fire Services Institute and on Capitol Hill. Dr. Kaniewski began his career as a firefighter/paramedic—the impetus for his lifelong career in disaster risk and resilience.

Dr. Kaniewski currently serves as a Non-Resident Scholar at the Insurance Information Institute, Chair of the Committee on Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate at the National Institute of Building Sciences, and a Senior Fellow at the McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security.

He previously served as Chair of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) High-Level Risk Forum and as a member of the DHS Homeland Security Advisory Council, the DC Homeland Security Commission, and the Council on Foreign Relations. He has also served on the graduate faculty at Georgetown University and George Washington University.

Dr. Kaniewski holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration from George Washington University, an M.A. in National Security Studies from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, and a B.S. magna cum laude in Emergency Medical Services from George Washington University.