Victoria Salinas has worked with communities across the United States and internationally to build all-hazards resilience and recover after major disasters. Passionate about driving social impact centered in partnership and community resilience, she has a steadfast focus on improving outcomes for all disaster survivors.
Ms. Salinas is an appointee in the Biden-Harris Administration and currently leads Resilience at the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA Resilience helps communities across the United States adapt, survive, recover, and thrive in the face of natural disasters and security threats, through a variety of programs that aim to help communities better understand their risk; transfer risk through insurance; and build the capacity to prepare, protect, respond, and recover from disasters.
Previously serving as the Chief Resilience Officer and Deputy City Administrator for Oakland, California, Ms. Salinas spearheaded planning, policy, and legislative efforts to address disaster vulnerability. At the World Bank, the United Nations, and in her previous experience at FEMA, she worked alongside officials at all levels of government to plan recovery efforts following major disasters. She started her career in public service following Hurricane Katrina, as a Presidential Management Fellow at FEMA, where she helped lead federal interagency efforts to develop new policies and programs that now guide disaster recovery in the United States.
Most recently, Ms. Salinas served as the Vice President for Programs and Communication at the non-profit FUSE Corps, where she focused on strengthening the capacity of local government to address pressing community challenges. She partnered with government leaders from 35 cities and counties, ranging from Los Angeles County to the City of Birmingham, Alabama to embed and support FUSE Executive Fellows tackling projects related to justice reform, affordable housing, economic development, and access to government services.
Ms. Salinas has a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard Kennedy School and a bachelor’s degree from the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. She is a Chilean American who grew up in Austin, Texas and considers Oakland, California her second home. She has two young sons and is married to an entrepreneur.