10 Questions with Russ Webster

I’ve known Russ Webster for more than 20 years. His career has been nothing short of extraordinary. His last assignment was in the Senior Executive Service as FEMA’s Regional Administrator for Region I, which covers six New England states and its population of 15 million people including ten Tribal Nations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he led Region I’s efforts in response, recovery, and long-term health and economic resilience planning and operations.

In a previous FEMA assignment, Webster was New England’s first Federal Preparedness Coordinator and FEMA Region I’s initial Incident Commander for the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing.

Prior to FEMA, Captain Webster served in the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) as Deputy Federal Security Director for all airports and transportation venues in Massachusetts. He co-developed two TSA initiatives that eventually evolved into national programs: Screening of Passengers by Observation Technique behavioral detection, and the use of TSA screeners at other transportation venues sites, such as rail stations.

Before TSA, Captain Webster served for twenty-six years in the Coast Guard. As Commander at Group Woods Hole, then one of the largest search and rescue groups, Captain Webster was Incident Commander for both the 1999 JFK, Jr., and Egypt Air 990 air crashes. In his final mission assignment, Captain Webster served as Chief of Operations (District 1) in the Northeast between Canada and New Jersey. During 9/11, Captain Webster supported all operations in response to the terrorist attack.

(Most importantly, he’s also a Yankee fan.)

1. What led you to a career in the Coast Guard?

My mom and dad were from the Greatest Generation, and both were public

servants. Dad was in the Army Air Corps during WWII and my mother worked

for the city of New London, Connecticut, for more than 50 years. They taught me

the value of hard work and commitment to service. I grew up fishing along the

Thames River, watching the sleek Coast Guard utility boats on their way out to

assist mariners in distress, and I always thought, ‘I’d like to do that!’ And so I

went to the nearby Coast Guard Academy and served 30 years and loved it. I

learned a foreign language, visited multiple countries, and earned two master’s

degrees and made many great friends.

2. What was your favorite part about the work?

The people. Sharing the nobility of the lifesaver, law enforcement and

environmental missions and traveling extensively and making a difference with

people who genuinely were motivated and enjoyed what they were doing. As a

service smaller than the NY City police department, the Coast Guard had been

vested with law enforcement authorities since the time of Alexander Hamilton.

Every petty officer and officer, no matter how junior, has law enforcement

(Customs) authorities. This has come in handy in many situations, especially

when working with other federal agencies that needed to deputize some of our

people for urgent requirements. I’ve also enjoyed studying our history,

understanding we’re technically the oldest continuing federal seagoing service

(older than the Navy), and have fought in every conflict since the French and

Indian War. I love contextualizing today’s challenges for future leaders,

understanding that historic leaders and service lessons can facilitate better critical

thinking and provide hero modeling possibilities.

3. From a security point of view, what is the chief challenge of the USCG?

Probably the extremely rapid shift in priorities this Administration has brought to

the table, necessitating renewed emphasis and resourcing in the alien migration

interdiction operations, drug enforcement, and operations in the Arctic and around

the globe. Fortunately, the Administration and Congress have also funded

significant infrastructure items for the long term. I’ve studied and seen two other

times; WWII and after 9/11 where these drastic priority shifts have occurred.

There’s always a lag in resource and recruitment that puts added strain and risk on

the organization. That’s leadership’s challenge.

4. What did you miss about it most when you retired?

It’s the people. There’s nothing like sharing and believing in what you’re doing,

together.

5. You’ve had a lot of high-level roles in the USCG, TSA, and FEMA. What would you say was the single biggest challenge you faced in your career?

Easy! My time as the FEMA Region 1 Administrator during the COVID 19

Pandemic challenged every leadership experience and capability I had developed

to this point in my careers. COVID 19 was not only unique in its scope, but also

the intimacy of fear that every person in the chain, from me to the newest public

servant on the team were experiencing. We all were challenged to perform in

what many viewed as a hostile, threatening environment while pursuing a mission

to help people before, during and after disasters. With that context to support the

16 million New Englanders, we engaged with five ACOE scientists who helped

me assess the risk to the FEMA team and the people we served in such a way that

we could more precisely define when and where people should work and how

much of and where scarce medical resources should be distributed throughout the

six New England states.

6. What was it like dealing with aviation security challenges in the early years after 9/11?

Probably one of the most unique times of my career, working for a relatively new

organization that was going from zero to 60,000 employees and without many

formal policies or doctrine. And, requiring a commitment to innovation while

preserving the safety of a major commercial backbone that the Nation needed to

rely upon. We did this by initiating more than 60 new policies, ranging the gamut

from a new strategic plan to forming bid processes, recognition and leadership

programs and creating the first behavioral detection program. It was an exciting

time, working with five different generations of employees, many who were

experiencing their first jobs and others who came out of retirement to make

contributions to aviation and America’s security. I was fortunate to have worked

with inspirational leaders like you and George Naccara.

7. When you were appointed to run FEMA in New England, what did you see as your first goal?

I had two goals. First and foremost, I recognized that the region had not been led

by a permanent administrator in several years and needed the stability of a

strategic plan that would take the organization from 2020 to 2030, or “over-the-

horizon.” Second, we needed an informal program to define how personnel could

define trust and learn to trust each other and the organization. And most

importantly, resolve conflict at the lowest level. Too often, I had seen how senior

management was stuck managing the fallout from individual employees who just

didn’t know how to say no to whatever was bothering them or articulate the

impact of other’s actions. New systems were put in place that enabled every

employee to have the tools to understand how they were empowered to stand up

for themselves in the moment and for the rest of their careers.

8. When you left FEMA, did you feel that you had enough time to make your mark with the agency?

I left every agency knowing I never had enough time. After a while, you realize

that life and working is a leadership conveyor belt where when you get off,

someone else will inevitably get on. If you’ve done your job well, you’ve

influenced some future leaders who will take the best of what you had to offer and

make a difference with their own style.

9. Where do you find your stories for your books on the history of the Coast Guard?

Some of the stories I’ve lived. Others, I’ve studied history and learned from. And

still others, I’ve been inspired by the people and heroes I’ve worked with and

known.

10. Can you share a bit about your next book project?

My wife, Theresa, and I have coauthored The Last Flight that details the five days

after JFK Jr.’s airplane crashed off Martha’s Vineyard the night of July 16, 1999.

Specifically, our new book details how local, state, and federal agencies came

together in the unified pursuit to search and then respectfully place the ashes of

JFK Jr, his wife, and her sister, over the wreck site, all within the five days after

the crash. There’s no celebrity angle, nothing gossipy about their personal lives.

Our book begins where every other book about JFK Jr. has left off. The publisher

has tentatively scheduled the book for an October 16, 2026, publication date.