July 26, 2024 – Mayor John Whitmire has appointed Brian Mason to serve as the Director and Emergency Management Coordinator for the City of Houston’s Office of Emergency Management, which supports Houston’s 671 miles of service area and 2.3 million people.

“Brian has demonstrated exemplary leadership as the Executive Director of Houston TranStar and Houston Public Works’ Emergency Management Lead,” Whitmire said. “I know he will remain an asset at OEM as he leads the city through response and recovery during weather emergencies and other disasters.” 

Mason’s role as the Executive Director for Transtar, the southeast Texas region’s transportation management and emergency management center, will not change.

Prior to his time with the City, Mason worked as the Safety Manager for the Houston Airport System and as a BioWatch Jurisdictional Coordinator for the United States Department of Homeland Security. 

With twenty-four years of diverse experience in the fields of emergency response, crisis and emergency management, homeland security, industrial hygiene, health and safety, and environmental remediation, Mason has earned a strong reputation for leadership and strategic vision.

Most recently, Mason led response and recovery for the May 16 derecho and Hurricane Beryl, but his experience in emergency response spans incidents of national significance, including weather disasters, Super Bowls, the STS 107 Columbia Shuttle Recovery, the BP Texas City Explosion, and the Deepwater Horizon Gulf Oil Spill.

Mason is committed to providing quality services to maximize safety and mobility to the Greater Houston area and takes pride in doing meaningful work for regional residents and travelers.

Mason replaces Thomas Muñoz who was appointed Chief of Houston’s Fire Department.