James Lee Witt (born 1944) was Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) during the administration of President Bill Clinton.
James Lee Witt was born in Paris, Arkansas on 6 January 1944 and was raised in Dardanelle, Yell County, Arkansas. Witt started his own construction business in 1968. At age 34 he was elected County Judge of Yell County becoming the youngest person ever elected as a County Judge in the state. Witt was reelected to the post 6 times and was recognized by the National Association of Counties for his work. Witt was a charter Board Chairman of Child Development, Incorporated which works to advance Head Start programs.
In 1988 Witt was appointed by then-Governor Bill Clinton to be the head of the Arkansas Office of Emergency Services where he reorganized the state's emergency management process.
When Bill Clinton was elected President he appointed Witt to head the Federal Emergency Management Agency and he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 1993. During his tenure Clinton elevated the Director of FEMA to cabinet status. Witt's term of office saw approximately 348 Presidential declared disaster areas in more than 6,500 counties and in all 50 states and territories. Witt supervised the response to the most costly flood disaster in the nation's history, the most costly earthquake, and a dozen serious hurricanes.
Witt is currently President of James Lee Witt Associates, LLC which provides consulting on emergency and disaster preparedness to local and state governments. Witt also serves as CEO of the International Code Council which sets international standards for building construction.
Witt has been mentioned as a potential Democratic candidate for Governor of Arkansas.
