Disasters at work: Daniel Kaniewski

PodcastMarch 19, 2021
A partially submerged red house with a white roof leans into water, surrounded by greenery and adjacent to a stone wall with railings in an urban setting.
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That’s always the challenge, to get individuals’ attention before something bad happens, right? Preparing for what we may view, as professional emergency managers, as the inevitable.

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Intro

In this episode of the Decision Corner, Brooke speaks with Daniel Kaniewski, former Deputy Administrator for Resilience at FEMA and currently Managing Director, Public Sector at Marsh McLennan. Daniel has been involved in managing some of the worst disasters in American history, through various roles at the White House, with FEMA, and in the private sector. He draws from his experience to provide us with fascinating insights about government and individual decision-making in times of crisis. Surprisingly, human behavior is one of the more predictable elements of disaster management, so if you’re keen to learn more about how governments handle emergencies and mobilize their citizens to react appropriately, tune in!

Some of the topics discussed include…

  • The early phases of a disaster or emergency, how a response is mobilized and why salience and intensity play a big role in shaping our reaction.
  • Communicating during an emergency, balancing a need for calm and reassurance while getting people to do what they need to do to stay safe.
  • Practical ways that we as citizens can support emergency response, without getting in the way of the professionals.
  • The ‘ramp-down’ and recovery phases of an emergency, and why they’re as, if not more important, than the initial response.
  • How the COVID-19 pandemic is unlike any disaster we’ve faced before, but the lessons we’ve learned will stand to us in the future.

About the Guest

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Daniel Kaniewski

Daniel Kaniewski is Managing Director, Public Sector at Marsh McLennan Companies. In this role he works with over 75,000 experts in risk, strategy, and people across Marsh McLennan, Guy Carpenter, Mercer, and Oliver Wyman, serving clients in over 130 countries. Daniel draws from his extensive public sector experience, most notably his role as Deputy Administrator for Resilience at FEMA in the US, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. As FEMA’s second ranking official, he managed the agency’s pre-disaster programs and was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate in September 2017. He also served as Chair of the Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD) High Level Risk Forum, a group of risk managers from 36 OECD countries

Prior to FEMA, Daniel led the Global Resilience practice at AIR Worldwide, and was a Senior Fellow at the Center for Cyber & Homeland Security. He was Special Assistant to the President for Homeland Security under George W. Bush, and Senior Director for Response Policy, where he managed over 200 Presidential disaster declarations at the White House.

Daniel 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. in Emergency Medical Services from George Washington University. He continues to serve as a member of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Advisory Council, as well as Chair of the Committee on Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate at the National Institute of Building Sciences. 

About the Interviewer

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Dr. Brooke Struck

Dr. Brooke Struck is the Research Director at The Decision Lab. He is an internationally recognized voice in applied behavioural science, representing TDL’s work in outlets such as Forbes, Vox, Huffington Post and Bloomberg, as well as Canadian venues such as the Globe & Mail, CBC and Global Media. Dr. Struck hosts TDL’s podcast “The Decision Corner” and speaks regularly to practicing professionals in industries from finance to health & wellbeing to tech & AI.

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