Charleston County Government is proud to announce the selection of Justin Pierce (pictured) as its next director of Emergency Management. He assumed his role December 2.
Justin has over 20 years of experience in the homeland security and emergency management field and most recently served as Director of Emergency Management for Los Angeles World Airports. In that role, he served Van Nuys General Aviation Airport and LAX, which was named among the world’s top ten busiest airports in 2023.
As Director of Emergency Management, Justin helped guide the airport’s response to and recovery from COVID-19, led the planning effort for the Super Bowl LVI team arrivals, revamped LAX terminal evacuation and repopulation procedures, modernized its alert and warning capabilities, and initiated a $70 million renovation of its Emergency Operations Center.
From 2016 to 2019, Justin served as Deputy Chief of the Preparedness Division for the District of Columbia’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, where he led numerous planning efforts and EOC activations in response to emergencies, National Special Security Events, and other planned events including Presidential Inaugurations, State of the Union Addresses, and a Papal Visit.
Additionally, he has deployed to numerous Presidentially declared disasters under the Robert T. Stafford Act.
Justin received a Bachelor of Science degree from Virginia Tech University and has completed higher education programs at Georgetown University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In July 2024, he graduated from the Naval Postgraduate School Executive Leaders Program 2302.1.
Justin is married to his wife, Marissa, and is the father of two daughters, Kennedy and Madison.
