MEMA head steps down for industry job

Maine Emergency Management Agency Director Suzanne Krauss has stepped down to pursue work in the private sector, Gov. Janet Mills said in a news release Monday. 

Krauss, who also served as deputy homeland security advisor, will serve as a product lead for KBR Inc., a Houston-based engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the U.S. military.

Mills has appointed Peter Rogers, MEMA’s deputy director, to serve as acting director.

Krauss had led MEMA since January 2018, according to her LinkedIn profile, and is a captain in the U.S. Navy Reserve with 24 years of military service. She is a graduate of Boston University’s International Relations Program and the U.S. Naval War College master’s program in national security and strategy studies. 

“Suzanne has been a tremendous asset to the state of Maine and a leader in emergency management practices both at home and nationwide,” said Mills. “I am thankful for her service, and I wish her the very best.”

MEMA coordinates the state’s preparation and response for emergencies and disasters such as floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, hazardous-materials spills and homeland-security crises.