Baker Donelson is pleased to announce that Captain Danielle M. Aymond has joined the Firm as a member of the Government Relations and Public Policy Group and the Disaster Recovery and Government Services Team.
"Captain Aymond's background gives her a deep understanding of the laws and policies that clients must navigate when preparing for or responding to a disaster. She is a great asset to our team of professionals that advise State and local governments and non-profit entities on compliance with the complex requirements of disaster funding and other disaster-related legal challenges," said Ernest B. Abbott, chair of Baker Donelson's Disaster Recovery and Government Services Team and a former general counsel of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Captain Aymond, who joins the Firm's Baton Rouge office as of counsel, concentrates her practice on disaster relief and emergency management. She advises clients across the country on key emergency regulatory issues, using her knowledge of how federal, state, tribal and local laws, regulations and policies establish what funds are available for disaster-related work including mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery and also compliance with grant requirements. Prior to joining Baker Donelson, Captain Aymond served as executive counsel of the Louisiana Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) where she was the state's legal advisor through five federally declared disasters. During the 2017 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature, she authored legislation that updated the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) and authored two bills in the 2018 Regular Session that updated dozens of emergency management statutes.
A member of the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA), Captain Aymond served on the organization's Federal Emergency Management Legislation Reform Committee that assisted in the writing and passage of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018. She also served as the legal chair for NEMA's Response and Recovery Committee.
Captain Aymond entered the Louisiana National Guard's Judge Advocate General's Corps in 2011 and currently serves as deputy regional defense counsel. From 2013 to 2016, she served as a full-time attorney-advisor in the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate of the Louisiana National Guard. Captain Aymond is a graduate of the Military Police Individual Training Academy, the Louisiana National Guard Officer Candidate School, and the Army Judge Advocate School.