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James Remillard officially tapped to lead SEMA

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — After more than 30 years in law enforcement and months battling the coronavirus pandemic as acting director, James Remillard was officially named director of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) Wednesday.

As Department of Public Safety (DPS) Director Sandy Karsten announced the official promotion, she commended his leadership through what has been a volatile year.  

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, Jim Remillard has been providing critically important leadership on everything from acquiring and distributing PPE and vastly expanding the Missouri Disaster Medical Assistance Team (MO DMAT-1) to working directly with vulnerable populations to support their needs,” Karsten said in a statement. “Jim has done a tremendous job dealing with a disaster unlike anything we’ve faced before, and capably pulled our SEMA team and others together to get the job done.” 

Remillard began serving as acting director after the retirement of Director Ron Walker earlier this year. The agency conducted its COVID-19 response activities under his guidance, purchasing and distributing more than $62 million in personal protective equipment (PPE) and cloth masks for first responders, health care workers, and schools. MO DMAT-1 expanded under his leadership as well: Membership jumped from 163 to more than 440, according to DPS. 

SEMA was also involved in preparing to distribute COVID-19 vaccines through the state over the past few months, hosting “tabletop” distribution drills with state and federal departments at its Operations Center. 

Gov. Mike Parson praised Remillard’s appointment and the work SEMA had done over the course of the pandemic.

“As Missouri has faced an unprecedented public health and emergency management crisis in 2020, Jim Remillard’s vast experience, strong leadership, and calm demeanor have been essential to both SEMA’s outstanding responsiveness and the work we’ve done across state government,” Parson said. “His work on the coronavirus response builds upon his previous experience with disaster response, supporting Missouri communities, and strengthening coordination with our response partners.”

Remillard began his career with the Missouri State Highway Patrol in 1990, serving as captain of Troop 1 beginning in 2014. He retired from the patrol in 2019 to join SEMA.