As of November 2023, Patricia Pudwill serves as FEMA’s Small State and Rural Advocate. In this role, Ms. Pudwill advocates for the fair treatment of small states and rural communities and ensuring these communities are represented in emergency management processes and programs.
Ms. Pudwill will also counsel states on the emergency and major disaster declaration processes to ensure that the needs of rural communities are being addressed. This includes assisting states in the collection and presentation of materials to demonstrate severe localized impacts for a specific incident as part of a request for a disaster declaration.
With more than four years in federal service with FEMA, Ms. Pudwill deployed across multiple disasters in support of response and recovery efforts to build capacity across rural state, local and tribal partners in Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. She most recently served as the FEMA Integration Team Lead in South Dakota for FEMA Region 8. In this role, she assisted rural state, local and tribal governments, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector with emergency operations planning and response efforts.
Prior to her federal service, Ms. Pudwill spent more than 12 years serving in state and local government positions within South Dakota. She served as a Regional Coordinator with the South Dakota Office of Emergency Management and County Highway Superintendent in Campbell County.
Ms. Pudwill holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Northern State University and is currently working on a Master of Science in Strategic Leadership from Black Hills State University.