Paul Rainwater
Paul W. Rainwater is an American former Louisiana government official who helped lead the state’s recovery from major disasters and served in top state roles. He was Louisiana’s Commissioner of Administration (2010–2012), the governor’s Chief of Staff (2012–2014), and earlier led the Louisiana Recovery Authority, which distributed federal recovery funds after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. He also worked in Washington, D.C. for U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu as chief of operations, and he served as Chief Administrative Officer of Lake Charles from 2000 to 2006. He helped manage Louisiana’s response to Katrina and later contributed to the state’s recovery from Rita, Gustav, and Ike, as well as the 2010 BP oil spill. After the 2017 floods in New Orleans, Mayor Mitch Landrieu named him Interim Emergency Manager of the Sewerage and Water Board.
Rainwater served in the U.S. Army Reserve and the Louisiana Army National Guard, retiring in 2015 as a Colonel. He took part in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, earning several military honors including the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star.
He holds a BA in Government from McNeese State University and an MA in International Relations from Salve Regina University. He lives in Baton Rouge and has worked as a consultant and adviser to government affairs firms, including Cornerstone Government Affairs, Rainwater Consulting, and Plexos Group. In 2023 Governor Jeff Landry named him to the governor’s statewide transition team, and in 2024 he was appointed to chair a task force to review the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 14:51 (CET).