Nancy L. Ward was the Interim Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), hand-picked by her predecessor, R. David Paulison to serve in his place after retiring on January 21, 2009. Prior to her selection by Paulison, Ward served as the FEMA regional director for region IX (which serves AZ, CA, Guam, HI, NV, CNMI, RMI, FSM and American Samoa). She returned to this position in May 2009 after Craig Fugate was appointed as Administrator.