Justin Westmiller
Justin L. Westmiller, PEM, is the Director of Homeland Security & Emergency Management for St. Clair County, Michigan, where he leads countywide preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery efforts. Since 2019, he has overseen Emergency Operations Center activations, public information, and incident management for all hazards, while coordinating closely with local, state, federal, cross border, and private sector partners to strengthen regional resilience along the St. Clair River corridor. He manages more than $5 million in grants, training programs, and strategic initiatives that support the county’s public safety and homeland security mission.
Prior to his current position, Justin held senior leadership roles in both the public and private sectors, including General Manager for Clean Harbors Environmental Services, where he led 24 employees in all hazards environmental response and field services across Michigan, northwestern Ohio, and northeastern Indiana, with responsibility for a multimillion-dollar P&L and 24/7 emergency response readiness. He also served as Environmental Health and Safety Director for a large manufacturing facility with more than 1,300 employees, where he managed plant wide safety, compliance, audit programs, and injury prevention initiatives.
Justin’s public service is grounded in more than two decades as a commissioned officer in the United States Coast Guard, where he became a leading expert in search and rescue, incident management, and multi-agency operations. His assignments included Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Coast Guard National Search and Rescue School, Director of Sector Command Centers in Detroit and North Carolina, and Special Assistant to the National Incident Commander, ADM Thad Allen for the Deepwater Horizon spill supporting senior level coordination with the White House, cabinet level officials and elected leaders. He has responded to and supported operations for major incidents including Deepwater Horizon, the Haitian earthquake response, hurricanes, significant Great Lakes pollution events, and complex maritime emergencies.
A nationally accredited instructor in adult education, Justin is an instructor for NIMS and ICS courses, including ICS 100, 200, 300, 410, and 430. He holds NIMS Type III certifications as Incident Commander, Operations Section Chief, Planning Section Chief, Public Information Officer, and Agency Representative, and is experienced as a Federal Search and Rescue Coordinator and maritime incident planner.
Justin earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration from the University of Phoenix with honors. He is a Professional Emergency Manager (PEM) for the State of Michigan and continues to champion collaboration, innovation, and practical, operations focused solutions that protect people, critical infrastructure, and communities across St. Clair County and the State of Michigan.