Angelica Saavedra

About Angelica Saavedra

Public sector advisor with more than 15 years of experience helping governments, nonprofits, and institutional partners navigate complex regulatory environments, large-scale funding programs, and enterprise risk challenges.I previously served as a director and senior attorney at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), where I helped oversee governance and compliance for more than $26B in federal disaster recovery and resilience investments across states, territories, and tribal governments.My work focuses on translating complex policy, regulatory frameworks, and program data into clear strategies that enable leaders to make informed decisions and improve program outcomes.Throughout my career I have partnered with federal executives, governors’ offices, local governments, and institutional stakeholders to:• strengthen governance and compliance for large public funding programs• resolve complex funding disputes and regulatory challenges• design policies and operational frameworks that improve program accountability• build institutional capacity across government and nonprofit partnersEarlier in my career I practiced law in commercial litigation and international finance and served as a political appointee at the U.S. Peace Corps, where I supported public-private partnerships advancing global education initiatives.Areas of focus include:• Public sector advisory and program governance• Federal grants and disaster recovery funding programs• Risk, compliance, and regulatory strategy• Program evaluation and operational policy• Stakeholder engagement and cross-sector partnershipsI\'m currently the managing partner at Thistle Legal LLC, where we advise organizations navigating federal funding programs and complex compliance environments.

Experience

1. Principal and Co-founder

   Thistle Risk Solutions

   Oct 2025 — Present · Atlanta, GA, US

Education

• University of Florida

  B.A., Anthropology

  2000 — 2004

• University of Florida

  J.D., Law

  2004 — 2007