Jeff Byard, who recently oversaw FEMA’s Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts in Alabama, has been named the acting director of the FEMA-Mississippi Transitional Recovery Office in Biloxi.

The appointment was announced by Gil Jamieson, deputy director for Gulf Coast Recovery for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Jamieson said in a statement that Byard “knows state and FEMA programs inside and out. He brings many years of experience working with FEMA, and has a commitment to customer service to the survivors of Hurricane Katrina that is exemplary.”

Before working with FEMA in Alabama, Byard had served as recovery branch chief for Alabama’s Emergency Management Agency for four years.