Oh, and then there's this.

(links in the article are hers. first link, gets you to the entry. His main qualification seems to have been that he was a college buddy with the former Bush appointee, and of course a fundraiser.)

From War and Piece : Laura Rozen

My lord, the guy heading FEMA has no qualifications. What was he doing before getting pulled into FEMA by the Bush administration in 2003? He was an estate planning lawyer in Colorado and of counsel for the International Arabian Horse Association Legal Department. And yes, it is the same Michael D. Brown.

Education as described by the Arabian Horse Association:

Oklahoma City University School of Law, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1981
J.D., Doctor of Jurisprudence

Central State University, Edmond, Oklahoma, 1978
B.A., Bachelor of Arts
Honors: Outstanding Pol. Science Senior, Dean's & President Honor Rolls

And by the White House:

A native of Oklahoma, Mr. Brown holds a B.A. in Public Administration/Political Science from Central State University, Oklahoma. He received his J.D. from Oklahoma City University's School of Law.

AND Josh Marshall's version:

Much was made at the time and since about the fact that James Lee Witt was the first head of FEMA who had a professional background in emergency and disaster management.

No one seems to dispute the fact that prior to 1993, the agency was a dumping ground for patronage hires. (The change was also furthered by a devastating 1992 GAO report.)

President Bush replaced Witt with Joe Allbaugh, whose main qualification was that he was one of the president's main political fixers from Texas.

When Allbaugh left FEMA in 2003 to cash in on the Iraqi contracts bonanza, he was replaced by Michael Brown. Allbaugh originally brought Brown to FEMA as General Counsel. His qualification was that they were college buddies.

When Allbaugh bailed, he apparently gave the top job to Brown.