VDEM Announces Appointment of State Coordinator John Scrivani
January 9, 2026
RICHMOND – The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) announced today that Governor-Elect Abigail Spanberger has selected John Scrivani to serve as VDEM’s state coordinator. Scrivani has been the acting state coordinator since December 2024, leading the agency during Hurricane Helene recovery and several winter weather events.
“I am deeply honored by Governor-elect Spanberger’s confidence in me to serve as Virginia’s State Coordinator of Emergency Management,” said John Scrivani. “Emergency management is a team effort, and I am proud to work alongside dedicated professionals across the Commonwealth to strengthen preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation efforts that keep Virginians safe.”
John Scrivani has more than 32 years of experience in emergency response and emergency management across local, state, and federal operations.
In 2021, John was appointed Commissioner of Emergency Management for New York City, leading the nation’s largest municipal emergency management organization. He later returned to Virginia to serve as Director of Safety, Security & Emergency Management for the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), a role he has held in multiple tenures.
From 2012 to 2013, he served as Incident Commander for the New York City Hurricane Sandy Debris Task Force, where he led the removal of all storm-related debris citywide following one of the most complex disasters in New York City history.
Earlier in his career, John served as Deputy Commissioner of Operations for the New York City Office of Emergency Management and as Deputy Director of the Special Operations Division at the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner. In that role, he oversaw operations and safety for the World Trade Center Potential Human Remains Recovery Project and managed the Medical Examiner’s Special Operations Response Team.
John spent 14 years with the New York City Police Department, retiring as Commanding Officer of the Emergency Services Unit Hazardous Materials / Weapons of Mass Destruction Response Team and Training School. He was also a member of the NYPD’s elite Emergency Services Unit.
John is a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) through the International Association of Emergency Managers and a graduate of SUNY Excelsior College.
Scrivani is no stranger to VDEM as he served as Deputy State Coordinator for Disaster Services, from 2017 to 2019, overseeing statewide response and recovery operations. He will assume his role as state coordinator beginning Monday, January 19, 2026.
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For more information, please contact us at PIO@vdem.virginia.gov