HI Emergency Management Agency Appoints New Administrator

Retired U.S. Navy Captain Thomas Travis has been appointed to serve as administrator of the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA). Courtesy photo.

Retired U.S. Navy Captain Thomas Travis has been appointed to serve as administrator of the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA).

A former national security analyst and the contributing author and senior editor of foundational studies on Operation Iraqi Freedom and the U.S. government response to Hurricane Katrina, Travis replaces Interim Administrator Brigadier General Moses Kaoiwi Jr. Today, Friday, March 16, 2018, is his first official day in the position.

Brig. Gen Kaoiwi will remain in his role of interim administrator to ensure a smooth transition.

“I am pleased and honored to accept the position of administrator of the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency,” Travis said, “and grateful to Maj. Gen. Logan and Gov. Ige for giving me this opportunity. I look forward to guiding the agency in building our capacity to respond to disasters and enhancing public trust. I also want to acknowledge the hard work of those who came before me in fostering an agency with great people and strong potential.”

Maj. Gen. Logan praised Travis’s qualifications to lead he agency in a period of rebuilding.

“Mr. Travis has proven himself a strategic thinker and strong leader,” Logan said. “Throughout his career, both military and civilian, he has brought to bear a clear vision of the path to effective performance and quality results. I trust him to deliver the same results for HI-EMA and our state.”

A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Travis most recently resided in Tucson, Arizona, but has previous ties to Hawai‘i, having lived in Kapoho on the Island of Hawai‘i from 2011 to 2016. He also served on various submarines at Pearl Harbor from 1977 to 1991.

After retiring from the U.S. Navy, Travis worked as an assistant director at the Joint Advanced Warfighting Program, Institute for Defense Analyses and most recently as the Studies Director, Joint Center for Operational Analysis, U.S. Joint Staff.

Travis was selected from a pool of 10 candidates to head the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency, one of six divisions and offices within the State of Hawai‘i, Department of Defense.