Director
Biography
Joe Maffei is a structural engineer and principal with Rutherford & Chekene Consulting Engineers in San Francisco, which he joined in 1988. At R&C he directs projects involving expert review, applied research, and advanced methods of seismic evaluation and design.
Joe earned a B.E. degree in civil engineering at Cooper Union, an M.S. in structural engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, and a Ph.D. in structural engineering at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. Joe is a licensed Civil and Structural Engineer in California, and a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Accredited Professional.
Joe has been an EERI member since 1989. He was a member of the reconnaissance team and co-editor of the Spectra Special Issue on the 2002 Molise Italy Earthquake. He is the first author of the EERI “beyond reconnaissance” publication, Recent Italian Earthquakes: Examination of Structural Vulnerability, Damage, and Post-Earthquake Practices. He has served on EERI committees on earthquake data sharing and annual meeting organizing.
Joe has served as a director for the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC). He is active in the Seismology Committee of the Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC), and is SEAOC’s official liaison to the American Concrete Institute (ACI). He serves on committees writing seismic provisions by ACI, the U.S Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC), and the Federation International du Beton. Joe has been a lead investigator and author on research projects and design and policy guidelines for organizations such as the Applied Technology Council, the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center, the Portland Cement Association, the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Institute, SEAOC, and BSSC. He has also chaired and served on advisory panels for a number of structural engineering research projects.
Joe has received awards including a Fulbright scholarship to New Zealand, a post-doctoral scholarship to Japan from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, the Edwin Zacher award for service to SEAONC, and excellence in engineering awards for research guidelines from SEAONC and SEAOC.
Vision
As someone active in both research and practice, I value EERI’s ability to bring together scientists, academics, engineers, officials, and other experts who practice in diverse fields from geoscience and engineering disciplines, through social science, economics, architecture, planning, policy making, and emergency response. I admire EERI’s commitment to forging consensus among such varied disciplines toward a common goal of reducing earthquake impacts throughout the world.
One of the most rewarding aspects of my career has been collaboration and friendship with colleagues overseas—in Europe, Japan, New Zealand, and Latin America. My experience working on EERI publications with several Italian contributors reinforces my interest in furthering EERI’s international cooperation efforts. My experience writing technical guidelines and giving seminars supports my interest in advancing EERI’s mission of education and outreach.
I strongly support the vision and strategies defined in EERI’s current strategic plan, which posits EERI as a leader in earthquake investigation and action on reducing earthquake risk. As a director, I would work to advance the initiatives of the strategic plan; in particular those on education, technical programs, outreach, and international activities.
