The Council of Governors is a group of 10 state governors of the United States. The group was established in January 2010 in order to strengthen the partnership between federal and state governments in protecting the nation against all manner of threats, including terrorism and natural disasters. The Council was created by Executive Order 13528, signed by President Barack Obama on January 11, 2010, as recommended by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 which was passed by the 110th Congress and signed by President George W. Bush on January 28, 2008.
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According to the executive order that created the Council, it consists of 10 Governors, no more than 5 of whom may belong to the same political party. All ten members are appointed by the President, and two are designated by him as Co-Chairs. The Co-Chairs may not belong to the same political party. There is also an Executive Director appointed by the Secretary of Defense.
| Role | Name | State | Party | FEMA Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executive Director | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Co-Chair | James Douglas | Vermont | Republican | Region I |
| Co-Chair | Chris Gregoire | Washington | Democrat | Region X |
| Member | Luis Fortuño | Puerto Rico | NPP/Republican | Region II |
| Member | Robert McDonnell | Virginia | Republican | Region III |
| Member | Martin O'Malley | Maryland | Democrat | Region III |
| Member | Beverly Perdue | North Carolina | Democrat | Region IV |
| Member | Brad Henry | Oklahoma | Democrat | Region VI |
| Member | Jay Nixon | Missouri | Democrat | Region VII |
| Member | Michael Rounds | South Dakota | Republican | Region VIII |
| Member | Janice Brewer | Arizona | Republican | Region IX |
| Secretary of Defense | Leon Panetta | Federal | --- | --- |
| Secretary of Homeland Security | Janet Napolitano | Federal | --- | --- |
| Asst to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism | John O. Brennan | Federal | --- | --- |
| Asst to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement | Valerie Jarrett | Federal | --- | --- |
| Asst Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Americas' Security Affairs | Paul N. Stockton | Federal | --- | --- |
| USNORTHCOM Commander | Admiral James A. Winnefeld, Jr. | Federal | --- | --- |
| Commandant US Coast Guard | Admiral Robert J. Papp, Jr. | Federal | --- | --- |
| Chief National Guard Bureau | Craig R. McKinley | Federal | --- | --- |
Meetings of the Council are called by the Secretary of Defense, or the Co-Chairs. To date, three meetings of the Council have been held. The inaugural meeting was held on February 23, 2010, in Washington, D.C., at the Pentagon.
A second meeting was held July 11, 2010 in Boston, MA.
A third meeting was scheduled for November 2010.