Office of Intelligence, Security and Emergency Response

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Biographies

Janet K. Benini

Manager, Security Policy and Plans Division
Office of Intelligence, Security, and Emergency Response
Office of the Secretary
U.S. Department of Transportation

Janet Benini leads the Department of Transportation’s work in the Security Policy area. Her Division coordinates the Department’s activities with the White House National Security Council and Homeland Security Council, and assures DOT’s implementation of laws and executive orders related to security and emergency preparedness.

Ms. Benini is a career emergency manager, who joined DOT in 1998 as the Deputy Director of the Office of Emergency Transportation. From 2003 – 2005, she served a detail at the White House Homeland Security Council as the Director of Response and Plans. She was the lead for the team that developed the Homeland Security Scenarios, and the White House lead for the National Response Plan.

She received a Hammer Award for Reinventing Government from the Vice President for her work in preparing for Y2K, a Special Commendation medal from the Transportation Secretary for her work following the attacks of 9/11, and together with other colleagues from S60, a Secretarial Gold Medal for the response to Hurricane Katrina.

Ms. Benini is a part-time college professor, on emergency management topics, at Georgetown University Public Policy Institute and George Washington University.

She is married to Aldo Benini, an international humanitarian and researcher. She has two daughters and four grandchildren.