Senior Director
SDR
Greer, South Carolina, United States
Robert Samaan is Senior Director of Federal and State Development at Southern Disaster Recovery and former FEMA Region IV Administrator. He has more than 20 years of emergency management experience across federal and state government. As Region IV Administrator and Deputy Administrator, he led approximately 600 emergency managers and oversaw response and recovery for more than 200 major disaster, emergency, and fire declarations across the Southeastern United States. A FEMA Qualification System certified Federal Coordinating Officer, Robert has extensive experience with Public Assistance, Individual Assistance, Hazard Mitigation, preparedness, and disaster grant programs. He has also served in senior leadership and policy roles at FEMA Headquarters, the California Office of Emergency Services, the Governor's Office of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Robert is a graduate of FEMA's National Emergency Management Executive Academy and the Naval Postgraduate School's Center for Homeland Defense and Security and holds a Master of Arts from The George Washington University.
Owning Public Assistance: How Communities Protect FEMA Funding and Prevent Deobligations
Wednesday, November 11, 2026
10:15 AM - 11:15 AM PST