Director
Biography
William A. Anderson has been at the National Academies’ National Research Council (NRC) since 2001 and has served as associate executive director in the Division on Earth and Life Studies and director of the Disasters Roundtable.
He earned a Ph.D. in sociology from Ohio State University, and became field director at the Disaster Research Center, which later moved to the University of Delaware. As field director, he led teams of researchers in studies on the consequences of earthquakes and other disasters in Alaska and other parts of the U.S. and in such countries as El Salvador, Curacao, Canada, and Australia. Anderson’s academic career also included seven years on the faculty at Arizona State University, where he rose to the rank of full professor and continued his research on hazards and disasters.
Dr. Anderson moved from academia to the National Science Foundation (NSF) in Washington, DC, where for over twenty years he served in positions of increasing responsibility, including founding director of the societal response/earthquake systems integration program and head of the Engineering Directorate’s Hazard Mitigation Section, where he led the NSF team that facilitated the establishment of the three university-based earthquake engineering research centers and did the initial NSF planning for the George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation. A two-year appointment as senior advisor at the World Bank’s Disaster Management Facility enabled Anderson to focus on global hazard risk reduction. While at the World Bank, he was a key member of the team that established the ProVention Consortium, a global partnership to further risk reduction throughout the world, especially in developing countries.
He has authored and co-authored dozens of articles on hazards and disasters and two books and two monographs. He was study director for Facing Hazards and Disasters: Understanding Human Dimensions, the 2006 NRC report which assessed advances in social science and planning research on earthquakes and other hazards made possible by almost thirty years of funding from the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP).
Anderson has worked closely with EERI throughout his professional career, including in connection with the Learning From Earthquakes (LFE) program. As a member he has served on EERI’s 7th U.S./Japan Workshop Steering Committee, the LFE Social Science Committee, the Oral Histories Committee, and the Committee on the Future of Interdisciplinary Research. He received a Special Recognition Award from EERI in 2007.
Vision
EERI has a compelling and critical mission. In order to achieve its goals, as articulated so well in its current strategic plan, EERI serves as an agent of change, a very daunting role for any organization. Over the years it has made significant progress in promoting change that helps provide the basis for increased seismic safety and community resilience in the U.S. and other parts of the world. Despite the many challenges it has faced to advance its mission, EERI has continued to be the premier organization for earthquake reconnaissance, seismic safety policy advocacy, and the dissemination of vital knowledge to researchers, decision makers, practitioners, and the public.
Even with its outstanding record of success, EERI will face continuing challenges, many requiring new approaches and strategies. For example, new sources of support to sustain the invaluable LFE program will be required. EERI will also have to give extra attention to its advocacy role on behalf of NEHRP so that this vital program does not lose momentum given the increasing attention government decision makers are giving to other risks. Additionally, EERI will have to develop new strategies to continue to be successful in realizing such core values as maintaining a membership which truly reflects the multidisciplinary nature of earthquake risks and solutions; providing meaningful learning opportunities for the next generation of researchers and practitioners; demonstrating the relevance of seismic safety science and technology for reducing losses from other hazards; and maximizing opportunities to collaborate with global partners and continuing to play a leading role internationally.
As a Director of EERI, I believe that my leadership experience in academia, government, and civil society organizations will enable me to contribute to the development of strategies to meet these and other challenges facing EERI. I eagerly look forward to the opportunity to serve EERI in this important capacity.
