Sunny Smith, CFM
PA Policy Specialist at CSRS- Claim this Profile
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Bio
Credentials
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Public Assistance Appeals Analyst Certification
FEMA HQ Public Assistance Appeals Branch (PAAB)Sep, 2014- Nov, 2024 -
Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM)
Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) Board of Regents.Dec, 2015- Nov, 2024
Experience
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CSRS
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United States
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Business Consulting and Services
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200 - 300 Employee
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PA Policy Specialist
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Oct 2016 - Present
Manages $80M in FEMA recovery grants. Responsibilities include overall Grants Administration including assessments of flood damaged buildings, Compliance & Close-Out. Works with Federal, State, Local and Private agencies for maximizing & ensuring compliance of FEMA, CDBG, Local & Private funding grants. Responsible for leading the damage assessment team evaluating 72+ flood-damaged buildings. Also responsible for responding to audit inquiries from a variety of agencies not limited to FEMA OIG, Louisiana Legislative Auditors and client Auditors. Manages EDA, CDBG/HUD, and Public Assistance grants for clients. In 2018, Ms. Smith was instrumental in lobbying the US Congress for changes to the way FEMA executes mandatory NFIP reductions to PA Grants for DR-4277. H.R. 302 passed in the fall of 2018 making the mandatory flood reductions one-per-campus rather than the existing one-per-building, netting the client an additional $8M+ in recovery grant funding previously unavailable to them. Show less
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DMS Disaster Consultants, part of ICF
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United States
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Business Consulting and Services
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1 - 100 Employee
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PA Program Specialist
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Jun 2015 - Oct 2016
Provided expert knowledge of FEMA Public Assistance Program eligibility and integration with mitigation, insurance and other grant funding sources; participated in educating Applicant’s on specific program issues, procedures, and development and review of projects for compliance. Managed grant projects for State Agencies for Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, Ike, and Isaac; Managed all DR-4263 grant projects for the Office of Risk Management (ORM) totaling $18+M in flood damages throughout the State of Louisiana. Show less
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FEMA
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Government Administration
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700 & Above Employee
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PA Program Specialist/Task Force Leader
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Sep 2005 - Jun 2015
Managed Public Assistance Projects for 5 major disasters (Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, Ike, and Isaac) throughout Louisiana totaling more than $3 billion in FEMA Public Assistance (PA) grants. Responsible for implementing changes/revisions to law, regulation and policy for these major disasters including recent changes to the Stafford Act and Sandy Recovery Improvement Act that resulted in significant changes to the PA Program. Produced audit responses for PA projects for the Office of Inspector General (OIG) and implemented appeal responses from Region 6 and FEMA headquarters in Washington, DC. Oversaw financial management of PA grants, including monthly, quarterly, and annual financial projections for grant and staffing expenditures. Conducted State requested Preliminary Damage Assessments (PDA) for Disaster Declarations on behalf of the President of the United States and responded to Congressional Inquiries and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests from the media. Educated PA Applicants on Federal, State, and local project eligibility procurement laws. Also, provided support to Private Non-Profit Applicants throughout the FEMA eligibility process and to the Small Administration prior to receiving FEMA funding. Positions/Assignments at FEMA include: Lead Resource Coordinator/ Public Assistance, Baton Rouge, LA (2005-08) Alternate & Improved Projects Team, New Orleans, LA (2008-09) Central Parishes Team Lead, New Orleans, LA (2009-10) New Orleans Education Team Lead, New Orleans, LA (2010) Public Assistance Group, Supervisor/ QA/QC Team Lead, (2010-13) Public Assistance Program Specialist/Task Force Leader. (2013-2015) Show less
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Education
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University of Utah