William L. Carwile III served in senior positions for the Federal Emergency Management Agency on major U.S. disasters since 1996, including: the 9/11 World Trade Center response, as Federal Coordinating Officer for the 2003 California Wildfires, Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne in Florida in 2004 and the 2005 Hurricane Katrina disaster in Mississippi. He retired from Department of Homeland Security in 2005. Prior to joining FEMA, Mr. Carwile retired as a colonel after serving thirty years in the U.S. Army in command and operational staff positions in Special Forces, Infantry, and headquarters organizations. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in Political Science from the University of Tulsa, master degree in Public Administration from Shippensburg University, Pennsylvania, and is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College. He is currently affiliated with the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security.