Meet the Director

Director Peter Rogers

Peter Rogers was appointed Director by Governor Janet T. Mills and confirmed by the Joint Standing Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety on March 10, 2020. He has worked at the agency since 2014 serving previously as the Deputy Director and Chief of Staff as well as the Homeland Security Division Director. 

As Director of MEMA, he is responsible for coordinating the state’s response to and recovery from major disasters. In addition, Director Rogers oversees planning, training, and exercises to ensure the state is prepared for a variety of natural and technological hazards and adversarial threats. Director Rogers serves as the Governor’s Deputy Homeland Security Advisor, where he is responsible for coordinating homeland security activities through collaboration with federal and regional partners, other state departments and agencies, local governments, and private sector infrastructure. 

Director Rogers has been designated by the Governor as State Coordinating Officer (SCO) for the last four Presidential Major Disaster Declarations in Maine - to include the COVID-19 Pandemic. During COVID-19, Director Rogers also served beside Doctor Nirav Shah of the Maine Center of Disease Control and Prevention as Unified Commander. In his role as Unified Commander, Director Rogers activated the State's Emergency Operations Center and worked with officials from all sectors and levels of government to ensure that Maine had the resources it needed to respond to the pandemic. 

Prior to joining MEMA, Director Rogers served as Communications Director, Governor’s Office, Communications Director, Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management, Acting Director of the State Planning Office, Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management, and State Office Representative, U.S. Senate. 

Director Rogers received his commission from Norwich University and served in the U.S. Army for 22 years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Norwich University and has competed coursework with the Emergency Management Institute, Naval Post Graduate Center, and the Department of Defense Information School. Peter lives in Yarmouth with his wife and has five children.