Appendix C
Committee Biographical Information
Henry J. Vaux, Jr., Chair, is professor emeritus of Resource Economics at the University of California in both Berkeley and Riverside. He is chair of the Rosenberg International Forum on Water Policy at University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Vaux is also the associate vice president emeritus of the University of California System, where he served as the chief operating officer for Agricultural and Natural Resource Programs and as director of California’s Center for Water Resources. His principal research interests are the economics of water use, water quality, and water marketing. Prior to joining the University of California, he worked at the Office of Management and Budget and served on the staff of the National Water Commission. Dr. Vaux has served on the NRC committees on Assessment of Water Resources Research, Western Water Management, Ground Water Recharge, and Sustainable Underground Storage of Recoverable Water. He served chairman of the NRC Water Science and Technology Board from 1994-2001. He is a National Associate of the National Academies. Dr. Vaux holds an A.B. degree from University of California, Davis, in biological sciences and, an M.A. degree in natural resource administration. He holds an M.S. degree in economics and Ph.D. degree in natural resource economics from the University of Michigan.
Patricia Born is the Midyette Eminent Scholar of Insurance in the Department of Risk Management/Insurance, Real Estate and Legal Studies at Florida State University (FSU). She is director of the FSU Center for Insurance Research and is a research associate in the Florida Catastrophic Storm Risk Management Center, the Center for Innovative Collaboration
in Medicine and Law, and the FSU Institute for Successful Longevity. She is also the director of the Risk Management/Insurance Ph.D. program in the College of Business and holds a courtesy appointment at the FSU College of Law. Her research interests include the regulation of insurance, medical malpractice, tort reform, health insurance, and the modeling and management of catastrophic risks. She has published in leading insurance academic journals including Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Journal of Risk and Insurance, Journal of Regulatory Economics, Columbia Business Law Review, Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, and the Journal of Business and Economic Statistics. She is currently president of the American Risk and Insurance Association and chair of the Florida Panhandle District Long Term Care Ombudsman Council. Recent consulting clients include Florida Department of Transportation, TIAA-CREF, the Insurance Bureau of Canada, the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, and the Able Trust. Dr. Born holds her Ph.D. degree in economics from Duke University.
Jeffrey Czajkowski is a senior research fellow at the Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center, serving as the Willis Research Network Fellow. His primary research fields are the economics of natural hazards and environmental economics where his research has focused on integrated modeling of direct economic losses associated with natural hazard event occurrences such as hurricanes, flood, and hail; quantifying risk-based insurance premiums related to catastrophic events; estimating the benefits associated with short- and long-term natural hazard preparation and mitigation activities; modeling and understanding economic decision making in the presence of a natural disaster; and economic valuation of environmental goods via revealed and stated preference techniques. Prior to his position at the Risk Center, Dr. Czajkowski was an assistant professor of economics at Austin College, Texas. Through September 2009, he was also an adjunct assistant research professor at the International Hurricane Research Center (IHRC) at Florida International University (FIU). During his tenure at FIU, he was an E.P.A fellow, as well as an FIU dissertation fellow. Preceding graduate school he worked as a research associate for Coopers & Lybrand Consulting and a vice-president for JP Morgan in New York City. Dr. Czajkowski holds a B.S. degree from Carnegie Mellon University, an M.S. degree in environmental and urban systems from FIU, and a Ph.D. degree in economics from FIU.
Lloyd Dixon is a senior economist and director of the Center for Catastrophic Risk Management and Compensation at the RAND Corporation (Santa Monica, California) where he specializes in insurance, compensation, and liability issues. Dr. Dixon has conducted a number of studies on
flood and wind insurance markets. His studies on the National Flood Insurance Program have provided more accurate estimates of the take-up rate for flood insurance and the compliance rate with the program’s mandatory purchase requirement and examined the role of the private market in underwriting residential flood insurance. Dr. Dixon served on the New York State 2100 Commission set up by Governor Cuomo in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Dr. Dixon has also authored several studies and has spoken widely on government intervention in the market for terrorism insurance. Work is currently under way on the effects of TRIA’s potential expiration on workers’ compensation insurance markets. He has also assessed the roles played by insurance, charity, tort, and government programs in providing assistance and compensation to individuals and businesses affected by the September 11 attacks. Dr. Dixon holds a B.S. degree in engineering and a B.A. degree in political science from Stanford University and a Ph.D. degree in economics from University of California, Berkeley.
Robert M. Hirsch is a research hydrologist at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in Reston, VA. The focus of his research is the description and understanding of long-term variability and change in surface-water quality and streamflow. From 1994 through May 2008, he served as the chief hydrologist of the USGS. In this capacity, Dr. Hirsch was responsible for all USGS water science programs. From 2003 to 2010 he served as the cochair of the Subcommittee on Water Availability and Quality of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources of the National Science and Technology Council. Dr. Hirsch has received numerous honors from the federal government and from nongovernmental organizations, including the 2006 American Water Resources Association’s William C. Ackermann Medal for Excellence in Water Management, and has twice been conferred the rank of Meritorious Senior Executive by the President of the United States. He is a recipient of the USGS “Eugene M. Shoemaker Award for Lifetime Achievement in Communications.” He is coauthor of the textbook Statistical Methods in Water Resources. Dr. Hirsch is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and an active member of the American Geophysical Union and the American Water Resources Association. He has testified before congressional committees on many occasions and presented keynote addresses at many water-related meetings in the United States and other countries. Dr. Hirsch holds a B.A. degree in geology from Earlham College, an M.S. degree in geology from the University of Washington, and a Ph.D. degree from The Johns Hopkins University.
Roger Kasperson is a research professor and distinguished scientist at the Graduate School of Geography, Clark University. Prior to Clark University, Dr. Kasperson taught at the University of Connecticut and Michigan State
University. He has written widely on issues of risk analysis, risk communication, global environmental change, risk and ethics, and environmental policy. Dr. Kasperson is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is a recipient of the 2006 Distinguished Achievement Award of the Society for Risk Analysis. He has been a consultant or advisor to numerous public and private agencies on energy and environmental issues and served on various committees of the National Research Council and the Council of the Society for Risk Analysis. From 1992 to 1996 he chaired the International Geographical Union Commission on Critical Situations/Regions in Environmental Change. He was vice president for academic affairs at Clark University from 1993 to 1996, and in 1999 he was elected director of the Stockholm Environment Institute, a post he held through 2004. His current research and teaching include vulnerability and resilience to global climate change, initiatives to integrate sustainability to environmental policies, and the management of high uncertainty risks. Dr. Kasperson holds a B.A. degree from Clark University. Both his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees were from the University of Chicago.
Robert Klein is an associate professor of risk management and insurance and director for the Center of Risk Management and Insurance Research at Georgia State University in Atlanta. Dr. Klein is a leading expert on insurance regulation and markets with 30 years of experience as a regulator and an academic researcher. He has published extensively on various topics in insurance and its regulation, including the structure and performance of insurance markets, solvency regulation, monitoring competition, price regulation, catastrophe risk, homeowners insurance, urban insurance issues, workers compensation, life insurance, and international insurance regulation. He has also testified frequently at legislative and regulatory hearings on significant issues affecting insurance consumers and the industry. Prior to joining Georgia State University in September 1996, Dr. Klein was the director of research and chief economist for the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. He has also served as staff economist for the insurance department and state legislature in Michigan. Dr. Klein is a Sloan Fellow at the Financial Institutions Center at the Wharton School of Business. He has served on the Board of Directors for the American Risk and Insurance Association and currently serves on the editorial boards for the Journal of Insurance Regulation and Risk Management and Insurance Review. He is a member of the American Economic Association, the American Risk and Insurance Association, and the Southern Risk and Insurance Association. Dr. Klein holds his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees in economics from Michigan State University.
Sandra Knight is a senior research engineer in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Maryland where she works in the development of water policy, disaster resilience, and flood risk management initiatives to support the Center for Disaster Resilience. Additionally, she is founder and president of WaterWonks LLC in Washington, DC. Dr. Knight finished her federal career as the deputy associate administrator for mitigation at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, responsible for the nation’s floodplain mapping, management and mitigation grants supporting the National Flood Insurance Program, environmental compliance for the agency, and oversight of the National Dam Safety Program. At National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), she was responsible for the development of policies and strategies to ensure scientific excellence and improved performance of NOAA’s research portfolio. Prior to that, she spent 26 years with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Her last position with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was as technical director for navigation research. She is a registered professional engineer in Tennessee, a Diplomate Water Resource Engineer, and a Diplomate Navigation Engineer. She is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Meteorological Society, the Society of Women Engineers, Sigma Xi, and a fellow for PIANC. Dr. Knight holds a B.S. degree from Memphis State University, an M.S. degree from Mississippi State University, and Ph.D. degree from University of Memphis—all in civil engineering.
David I. Maurstad is a director and senior vice-president with Optimal Solutions and Technologies, Inc., a provider of management consulting, integrated information technology, engineering services, and business process outsourcing in Washington, DC. Mr. Maurstad previously served as director of water policy and planning for a nationally recognized engineering firm specializing in flood mapping and floodplain management. He has more than 30 years of leadership experience with both the private insurance industry and federal, state, and local government. In June 2004, he was appointed by President George W. Bush to provide leadership for some of the nation’s leading multi-hazard risk reduction programs. In this role he was the federal insurance administrator charged with the overall management of FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program. He previously served as the director of FEMA Region VIII (2001-2004) coordinating federal, state, tribal, and local management of emergencies through planning, preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery. Mr. Maurstad is a former lieutenant governor and state senator of Nebraska and served as mayor of Beatrice, Nebraska. Mr. Maurstad holds a B.S. degree in business administration and M.B.A. degree from the University of Nebraska.
Sally McConkey is the head of the Coordinated Hazard Assessment and
Mapping Program (CHAMP) at the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS). The 25 member CHAMP staff is composed of engineers, geographic information (GIS) specialists, and outreach staff. Ms. McConkey has been with ISWS since 1984. Ms. McConkey has also served on the Illinois Association for Floodplain and Stormwater Management (IAFSM) board in a variety of positions including vice chair and chair. She served as cochair of the Mapping and Engineering Standards Policy Committee of the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM). Ms. McConkey also served as vice-chair and chair of ASFPM. Ms. McConkey is currently serving on the Technical Mapping Advisory Council to FEMA. She is a registered professional engineer in the State of Illinois, a certified floodplain manager, and a Diplomate, Water Resources Engineer. Ms. McConkey holds a B.A. degree in mathematics, a B.S. degree in theoretical and applied mechanics, and an M.S. degree in civil engineering from the University of Illinois.
Tommy Wright has been chief of the Center for Statistical Research and Methodology (formerly Statistical Research Division), U.S. Census Bureau, since January 1996 and an adjunct member of the faculty at Georgetown University since 2009. From 1979 to 1996, he was a research staff member of the Mathematical Sciences Section at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Author of one book, editor of another, and author of more than 40 papers in statistics and mathematics journals, his research interests have focused on probability sampling and estimation and elementary applied probability and combinatorics. He has more than 30 years of undergraduate/graduate teaching experience in statistics and mathematics. His contributions and service have led to professional recognition: (1) elected member, International Statistics Institute (1989) and (2) fellow, American Statistical Association (1995). Dr. Wright holds a B.S. degree in mathematics from Knoxville College and an M.S. degree in mathematics from the University of Tennessee. He holds an M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in statistics from The Ohio State University.
Richard Zeckhauser is the Frank P. Ramsey Professor of Political Economy at the Kennedy School, Harvard University. He is an elected fellow of the Econometric Society, the Institute of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2014, he was named a Distinguished Fellow of the American Economic Association. His contributions to decision theory and behavioral economics include the concepts of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), status quo bias, betrayal aversion, and ignorance (states of the world unknown) as a complement to the categories of risk and uncertainty. Many of his policy investigations explore ways to promote the health of human beings, to help markets work more effectively, and to foster informed and appropriate choices by individuals and government agencies.
He has published more than 280 articles. His recent coauthored books are The Patron’s Payoff: Conspicuous Commissions in Italian Renaissance Art (2008) and Collaborative Governance: Private Roles for Public Goals (2011). Dr. Zeckhauser holds a Ph.D degree from Harvard College (summa cum laude).
