Good afternoon everyone,
Hoping this message finds you all well and that everyone is having a safe and enjoyable weekend. After much reflection, I have decided to step down from my position as the Director of Emergency Management for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe.
After nine years of establishing and maintaining a highly successful department. I am excited to announce that I have accepted a position within the Region in the role as FEMA Region 1 Tribal Liaison. I will still maintain transitional and guidance support via a workspace at the MWT Emergency Management office to assist with the emergency management aspects, ensuring a smooth transition and providing guidance to the interim director while still supporting the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe from the Federal side of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) FEMA, there will be a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Tribe and FEMA.
This new opportunity will allow me to continue supporting the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe as the conduit between the Tribe and FEMA and also ensuring the continued enhancement of the emergency management department and overall support of the Planning, Logistics, Operations, Finance and Admin aspects. This planned out process will ensure that the success and services of the EM Dept. from my tenured leadership are not being left from my new role with FEMA but will remain and transitioned in a very smooth, proper, respectful and professional manner.
During my tenure, it has been a privilege to work alongside such a dedicated team of operational and executive leadership and staff. I am immensely proud of the accomplishments we have all achieved together. As the Director of Emergency Management, I have established and built from the ground up as well as maintained a professional, robust agency/department. We have created a department that is in alignment with and in comparison to our state's emergency management agency structure MEMA., the partnerships with MEMA and MOU’s with surrounding jurisdictions, tribal, state, local and federal will remain and help to ensure that we remain well prepared and safe. I have successfully brought in near $8 million in funding through grant writing and direct recipient awards, alongside our department assistant Allyssa Hathaway. We have also successfully acquired well over $500,000 in critical response and recovery assets for the Emergency Management Department.
Every critical emergency management plan, grant portal access, budget, contact, tribal/department policy's procedures along with state/federal procedure has been provided and transitioned over to the Emergency Management Assistant Allyssa Hathaway. The emergency management role and critical department support elements have also been provided to and will remain in support from Logistics Specialist Adam (AJ) Jonas Jr whom has been a critical asset within this departments success. Moreover, our department has been highly recognized across Indian Country as the standard example of what a tribal emergency management department should reflect.
Throughout the 9-year process of bringing the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Emergency Management Department into the successful capacity in which it stands, there have been numerous National accomplishments as well. Some of these accomplishments include but are not limited to; "One Tribe Winning Against Covid" - Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), "The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe: Pandemic Response, A Case Study"- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). I have also served as the Chairman of the United South and Eastern Tribes (USET) Homeland Security and Emergency Services Committee for the past 7 year, an Executive Committee Member of the Department of Energy (DOE) Nuclear Energy Tribal Working Group, Tribal Radioactive Materials Transportation Committee (TRMTC)., and most recently as the Tribal Government Official (TGO) to the FEMA National Advisory Council.
Emergency Management Assistant Allyssa Hathaway has been an integral part of our team and the progress of this department for the past seven years demonstrating exceptional leadership, dedication, and expertise in all aspects of emergency management and grant writing/management. She has been trained for this intricate role since her start and I have full confidence in her ability to lead the department to even greater heights. I will be sure to assist and support her in these efforts over the course of this transition period and from my new role as FEMA Regional Tribal Liaison.
The COVID-19 pandemic had tested our resilience, but serving as both Co-Tribal Administrator and Emergency Management Director during that time period, I witnessed the incredible strength, dedication, and solidarity with our employees and within our community. We were able to provide PPE to the IHS clinic, tribal community and our sister tribe Aquinnah (first tribal emergency mutual aid compact in region) through the National Stockpile as a result of being a direct recipient tribe under FEMA, this was before any resources were available to the states and counties. There have been numerous achievements and newly formed guidelines from our tireless efforts during the pandemic and literal around the clock support with 12-15 hour work days during the first year of becoming a direct recipient tribe under FEMA through the National Presidential Emergency Declaration. Our EM. Dept. established the Public Assistance Administrative Plan working with FEMA Headquarters, this plan was used by all tribes in the nation following as there was not one in place for tribes only states and territories. The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe was the first in the region and second in the nation to receive direct federal assistance under the National Covid-19 Declaration. Our Dept. was able to bring back over $2.3 Million dollars in FEMA reimbursement dollars under this declaration and had been awarded $1.5 Million through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as $1.2 Million from FEMA both in applied for grant funds during the pandemic.
I want to express my sincere gratitude to my tribal community, staff, colleagues, tribal government, operations and leadership for the opportunities and the support provided to me during my time as the EM Director. It has been a privilege to serve the tribe while serving the tribal community and whole community which is a true passion that I will continue to do in my new capacity. I am forever grateful for the experiences and memories I have gained. I am fully committed to ensuring a smooth transition of responsibilities and providing all necessary support to ensure the continued success of the MWT Emergency Management Department, there will be an on-going relationship and support moving forward as I will continue to be onsite periodically in between supporting the other regional tribes and FEMA as a Regional FEMA Tribal Liaison.
Thank each and every one of you for being such a critical component to the tribes future and success, please understand that we are each here to take care of serve our fellow man. Please always do everything to support the tribal elders and our youth first and foremost. I am humbly honored and will remain sincerely grateful for the opportunity to serve our Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and continue to help keep our Tribal Community more resilient in the efforts of Prevention, Preparedness, Response, Recovery and Mitigation
Sincerely,
Nelson Andrews Jr
5/17/24
