Mr. John Madden
Director, Alaska Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Services
Mr. Madden has served his state and his country for more than 40 years. First appointed by Governor Sarah Palin in January 2007, Mr. Madden continues under Governor Sean Parnell as the Director of the Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management for the State of Alaska. This followed a year as the Deputy Director for Homeland Security within the division. His state service follows a distinguished career in seven federal agencies.
Mr. Madden began his public service career in the U.S. Army at seventeen with service in Vietnam and Washington, D.C. After his military service, he joined the U.S. civil service with the Department of the Navy. He worked in program and project management with the Naval Weapons Engineering Support Activity, Naval Electronic Systems Command, and the Joint (Navy/Air Force) Cruise Missile Project Office. After earning his degree in political science, he joined the Department of Energy as a program and policy analyst working on fossil fuels programs and alternative fuels.
In 1982, he moved to Alaska with the National Weather Service supporting its operations throughout the region. He next worked for the Alaskan Region of the Federal Aviation Administration as Executive Staff to the Regional Administrator. He ensured continuity of all FAA operations against all hazards. He supported FEMA in disaster field offices in Puerto Rico and Florida in response to Hurricane Georges. He served with the Transportation Security Administration as Deputy Federal Security Director for Anchorage International Airport and eight other Alaska airports.
He serves on several national and regional organizations including:
- National Emergency Management Association - President
- Governors Homeland Security Advisory Council
- National Homeland Security Consortium
- Alaska Partnership for Infrastructure Protection – State chair
- Western States Seismic Policy Council - Board of Directors
- Western Regional Emergency Management Assistance Compact
- NEMA/ASTHO (Association of State and Territorial Health Officers) Policy Group
- Regional Consortia Coordination Council – Executive Council
- Regional Advisory Council for FEMA Region X
Mr. Madden served on the National Preparedness Task Force and helped frame its September 2010 report to Congress entitled Perspective on Preparedness: Taking Stock Since 9/11. He also served on the National Academy of Science committee that authored the September 2012 report Weather Services for the Nation: Becoming Second to None.
He has testified before Congress on unmanned aerial systems, coastal erosion in Alaska, lessons learned from the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, and an assessment of national preparedness.
(Current as of February 2013)