SARAH E. WASZAK

• Serves as an expert-level analyst and advisor to the Regional Administrator (RA), Deputy Regional Administrator (DRA), and Chief of Staff; advising on emerging developments, priorities, and events impacting program delivery
• Provides expertise to implement mission programs, FEMA policies, key initiatives, and special projects
• Engages with senior leadership on planning calls, providing feedback on identified issues and inefficiencies; offering strategic guidance and recommendations on procedures, staff coordination, and operational strategies
• Manages a complex workload, ensuring productivity and efficiency
• Manages the Region’s Performance Management Program for over 300 staff, providing expert guidance on policies and requirements and providing training sessions for all new supervisors.
• Oversees performance case files, ensuring adherence to timelines for establishing new performance plans, reviews, and ratings, leveraging data to track, analyze, and report completion rates to leadership, ensuring deadlines are met and offering alternative solutions to enhance efficiency
• Evaluates completed work for content adequacy, clarity, coherence, and overall writing style to ensure high-quality deliverables
• Serves as the Award Coordinator for regional employees, guiding managers on award processes and using data sets and spreadsheets to track and analyze available funding, providing recommendations for award distribution methodologies that maximize resource efficiency while staying within budget
• Serves as the Regional Position Management Specialist to maintain personnel data for over 400 positions; Ensures all approved requests comply with established policies and guidelines directed by FEMA, DHS and Office of Personnel Management (OPM); assists to finalize position descriptions, organizational charts, and other request documentation and justifications
• Resolves issues raised by managers and employees and provides guidance on procedures related to transfers, separations, and retirements
• Developed the visual reporting tool to track data concerning critical vacancies within the region and facilitates weekly Priority Vacancy Meetings to keep leadership informed of expectations, progress, and challenges, ensuring alignment with organizational goals
• Applies data analysis, visualization, and reporting to inform programmatic and operational decisions that drive change and eliminate inefficiencies
• Routinely gathers qualitative and quantitative data from staff, utilizes statistics to present critical information, identify challenges, propose solutions, and uncover patterns that support informed decision-making by senior leadership
• Led several Preliminary Damage Assessments (PDA) teams, collaborating with federal, state, and local partners while providing technical assistance and, supporting mitigation, preparedness, and recovery initiatives
• Serves as coordinator for the Regional Advisory Council; facilitates meetings with leadership from diverse disciplines across the region on behalf of the Regional Administrator.
• Participated and accessed the productivity of FEMA hiring fairs to support recruitment and workforce development initiatives
• Engages with state, local, tribal, and other internal and external stakeholders on behalf of senior leadership
• Serves as a program manager, project manager, and team lead for various projects on behalf of the Office of the Regional Administrator; responsible for setting goals, priorities, and budgets
• Supported and represented senior leadership on enterprise governance boards, councils, and steering groups
• Developed and distributed surveys to gather feedback and analyze lessons-learned, survey results and translate findings into actionable recommendations
• Coordinated and staffed RAs and DRAs for various engagements, including: Visits to Regional Field Offices and State Emergency Operation Centers; High-visibility events with elected officials, such as governors, congressional members, and senators; and COVID-related operations and press conferences.
• Contributes to several Front-Office initiatives and senior-level planning and coordination meetings, as well as the development of memos, guidance, team building activities and Town Hall materials
• Led the development and implementation of the Employee Development Program aimed at enhancing the resiliency of the Region 5 workforce through professional growth, collaboration, and targeted training; managed the program’s full lifecycle, from coordination with participants and content providers (including managers, senior leadership, and external partners) to overseeing all logistics
• Serves as the regional point of contact for potential lapse; prepares for potential lapses in annual appropriations and ensures compliance with regulations during operational disruptions due to a government shutdown
• Evaluates completed work for content adequacy, clarity, coherence, and overall writing style to ensure high-quality deliverables
• Recognized by management for exceeding performance expectations, earning multiple annual performance-based awards

• Served as Confidential Advisor to the Director and State Homeland Security Advisor on personnel related issues, operational items, programs, policies, and regulations
• Handled confidential and proprietary information (Secret Clearance/US Department of Homeland Security)
• Developed and evaluated program policies in addition to recommending new procedures to support management directives
• Attended meetings, tours and emergency response representing the Agency and the Director, engaging with federal, state, local and private sector stakeholders
• Analyzed, composed, and distributed updates and briefings for Governor’s Staff and others during emergency response on behalf of the Director
• Authored talking points for use during Governor and Leadership briefs
• Ensured management and completion of agency-wide projects across mitigation, preparedness, recovery, and response
• Supervised the planning and execution of the Agency’s annual training summit of over 1,000 attendees designed to enhance mitigation, preparedness, and resilience: including federal, state, local and private sector stakeholders
• Analyzed survey results and initiated improvements to enhance quality and customer satisfaction
• Extensive travel planning and coordination
• Analyzed and evaluated organizational plans and managed projects which included collecting, analyzing, and presenting data on appropriate topics from a variety of sources
• Identified and integrated procedures and best practices to help improve productivity and efficiency of programs
• Prepared and finalized memos, letters, and other documents on behalf of the Agency and Director
• Corresponded with high level leadership in government and private sector (Governor’s Offices, county and local elected officials, nonprofit and private sector executives)
• Coordinated communication and intent to senior staff from Director
• Held an Executive Staff position in the Emergency Operation Center when activated and advised senior staff on course of action
• Coordinated and facilitated monthly meetings with County Directors and local stakeholders
• Coordinated yearly in-person event with all County Directors including full meeting agenda and post meeting activities

• Served as Confidential Advisor to the Director and State Homeland Security Advisor on personnel matters, operational issues, programs, policies, and regulations
• Managed confidential and proprietary information, holding a Secret Clearance with the U.S
• Department of Homeland Security
• Developed, evaluated, and recommended program policies and procedures to support management directives and enhance operational effectiveness
• Represented the Agency and Director in meetings, tours, and emergency response efforts, engaging with federal, state, local, and private sector stakeholders
• Composed, analyzed, and distributed updates and briefings for the Governor’s staff during emergency response and authored talking points for Governor and Leadership briefings
• Oversaw the management and completion of agency-wide projects in mitigation, preparedness, recovery, and response
• Supervised the planning and execution of the Agency’s annual training summit, hosting over 1,000 attendees from federal, state, local, and private sector entities to enhance mitigation, preparedness, and resiliency efforts
• Analyzed survey results and initiated improvements to enhance program quality and customer satisfaction
• Coordinated extensive travel arrangements and logistics to support program initiatives
• Managed organizational plans and projects, collecting, analyzing, and presenting data from diverse sources to inform decision-making
• Identified and integrated best practices to improve productivity and efficiency across programs
• Drafted and finalized memos, letters, and other official documents on behalf of the Agency and Director
• Corresponded with high-level government and private sector leadership, including Governor’s Offices, elected officials, and nonprofit and private sector executives
• Coordinated communication and strategic intent from the Director to senior staff, ensuring alignment on key initiatives
• Held an Executive Staff position in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) during activation, advising senior staff on operational decisions and courses of action
• Coordinated and facilitated monthly meetings with County Directors and local stakeholders, including organizing and leading the annual in-person meeting with full agenda and post-event activities

• Responsible for marketing, soliciting, rate structure, contracting and placement of advertisements in eight scientific journals; achieved record annual advertising sales while being solely responsible for outreach and marketing of advertising opportunities and contracts
• Implemented new strategies for outreach and promotion of advertising opportunities with stakeholders
• Responsible for following policy and regulations regarding the publishing of advertising materials
• Coordinated lessons learned and best practices for each symposium attended and hosted to enhance the
experience and productivity for future events
• Communicated frequently with private sector partners; developing strong relationships and providing excellent customer service consisting of highly educated and renowned professionals in the medical and educational industry as well as senior executive leadership of multiple fortune 500 companies
• Traveled on behalf of the company and Vice President across the country; achieved record sales during one of many managed events
• Extensive travel planning and coordination for Executive Vice President
• Extensive event, symposia, and exhibition planning and coordination for events that were attended by company as well as large events hosted by the company