Patrick Sheehan serves as the Director of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency
(TEMA), a role he was appointed to in May 2016, leading Tennessee’s emergency management
community. Mr. Sheehan also serves as the Region 4 Vice President of the National Emergency
Management Association. Sheehan advises Governor Bill Lee on emergency management
policy and serves as the principal liaison between the State of Tennessee and FEMA. Since his
arrival at TEMA, Mr. Sheehan has led the response and recovery efforts for the worst urban-
wildland interface fire in Tennessee history. During the 2017 hurricane season, he led the effort
for the largest mobilization of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) in
Tennessee history to deploy resources to Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin
Islands. In 2019 Mr. Sheehan coordinated Tennessee’s statewide response to storms and
flooding on behalf of Governor Bill Lee. In 2020 Sheehan coordinated the response and
recovery to the March Tornadoes, April Severe Storms and Tornadoes, May Derecho, and the
Christmas Bombing in Downtown Nashville. Since March of 2020 Sheehan has served as a part
of Governor Lee’s COVID-19 Unified Command Group along with Dr. Lisa Piercey and Major
General Jeff Holmes. Sheehan has overseen or supported the response and recovery
operations to a number of emergencies, including the worst wildfire in Tennessee history, the
March 2020 tornadoes, and the Christmas Bombing in Downtown Nashville. Director Sheehan
previously served in several roles with the Ohio Emergency Management Agency from 2003-
2016, where he helped to lead the state response to numerous crises and several declared
emergencies. Prior to serving in emergency management, Sheehan worked in the private
sector, helping to run his family’s businesses. Mr. Sheehan chairs Tennessee’s State
Emergency Response Council, Vice-Chairs the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium’s Board of
Directors, is a member of the Nashville JTTF, Tennessee’s Cyber Security Council, the Public
Safety Advisory Council for FirstNet, and several additional emergency management, homeland
security and public safety organizations. Sheehan is a graduate of the prestigious Executive
Leaders Program offered by the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School/Center for Homeland Defense
and Security. As a junior enlisted member of the US Army Reserve he served as an NBC
Specialist (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) and completed the US Army Chemical School and the
Toxic Agent Training Course at the Chemical Defense Training Facility at Fort McClellan, and

the US Army Airborne School at Fort Benning. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business from
Kennesaw State University. Served on PSAC 2021-2025