President Donald Trump on Monday formally nominated Prattville’s Jeffrey Byard to serve as the next administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The president in February announced his intention to put Byard’s name forward to replace Brock Long, the former Alabama Emergency Management Agency (AEMA) head who resigned that same month as FEMA administrator.

Byard currently serves as FEMA’s associate administrator for response and recovery. He is also a former AEMA official, leading emergency management operations for the state of Alabama on multiple occasions, including spearheading response and recovery during Hurricane Gustav and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

His name has now been sent to the U.S. Senate for confirmation.

Byard honorably served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1990-1994. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from Troy University. Byard and his wife, Sara, have four daughters.

He is the brother of former Prattville Mayor and Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) Director Jim Byard, Jr.

Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn