Federal Emergency Management Agency Acting Director David Paulison today announced Deidre Lee as FEMA’s Acting Deputy Director of Operations. Lee will make the move to her new position at FEMA headquarters in Washington, D.C., in April, leaving her current post with the General Services Administration's Federal Acquisition Service where she has served as Assistant Commissioner of Integrated Technology Services.

"Dee brings a wealth of federal acquisition experience to this position and she will be a valuable asset to FEMA," said Paulison. "She arrives at an important time for FEMA as we are work to bolster procurement efforts in support of continued rebuilding in the Gulf Coast and future disaster response operations."

As acting deputy director, Lee will report to FEMA's Director of Operations and will work closely with FEMA's chief procurement and financial officers, as well as response and recovery division heads, to develop and oversee FEMA's acquisition programs in support of efforts to reinvigorate disaster response and recovery operations. She will also provide input and counsel to the Department of Homeland Security Chief Procurement Officer and Under Secretary for Management, communicating FEMA's mission, priorities, and business needs for the future.

In her role as an assistant commissioner at GSA, Lee was responsible for FAS technology and professional services offerings to customer agencies. Prior to joining GSA she was Director of Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy at the Department of Defense, where she was responsible for all acquisition and procurement policy matters. She served as the principal advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology & Logistics and Defense Acquisition Board on acquisition/procurement strategies for all major weapon systems programs, major automated information systems programs, and services acquisitions.

Lee previously has served as the Office of Management and Budget's Administrator for the Office of Federal Procurement Policy; Associate Administrator for Procurement at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; and Deputy Associate Administrator for Procurement and the Executive Officer to the Deputy Administrator of NASA. From 1984 until 1990, she worked at the Johnson Space Center as Chief of the Space Shuttle Procurement Division, Chief of the Orbiter and STS Integration Procurement Branch, and Chief of the Data Systems and Aircraft Operations Branch.

Lee holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Central State University in Oklahoma and a master's degree in public administration from the University of Oklahoma.