David Leiva, MS, PhD Candidate

David Leiva is a New Orleans native, veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and holds a master’s degree in economic development from the University of Southern Mississippi and a master’s degree from the U.S. Naval War College. David is an Academia Advisor for the FEMA Interagency Coordination Division, and he previously worked in Alaska, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, and Texas bringing multiple Institutions of Higher Education into the long-term recovery process at various disasters. David is also the co-author of FEMA's Project SCALE (Securing Capacity through Academic Leadership and Engagement), a tactical and statewide approach to resolving long-term post-disaster recovery issues. 

David has taught macroeconomics and microeconomics at the University of Maryland's Global Campus since 2015. In addition, David holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Mississippi Army National Guard, where he is the Commander of 2nd Infantry Training Battalion.