Michael Mahoney

Michael Mahoney is a Senior Geophysicist with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a position he has held for over 36 years. He currently leads FEMA’s seismic problem-focused studies and has investigated a variety of earthquake-related issues to develop design and construction guidance under the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP).  He is currently leading FEMA’s efforts on functional recovery and our recently published Report to Congress, Recommended Options for Improving the Built Environment for Post-Earthquake Reoccupancy and Functional Recovery Time (FEMA P-2090 / NIST SP-1254).  His list of projects includes the development of FEMA’s seven volume Performance-Based Seismic Design Guidelines series (FEMA P-58), Example Application Guide for ASCE/SEI 41-13 Seismic Evaluation and Retrofit of Existing Buildings (FEMA P-2006), and Seismic Evaluation of Older Concrete Buildings for Collapse Potential (FEMA P-2018). Mr. Mahoney is also responsible for FEMA’s earthquake-related work with the International Codes and has been involved in the nation’s model building code development process since 1984.  He has investigated building performance in disasters dating back to Hurricanes Hugo and Andrew and the Northridge earthquake.  In 2018 he was awarded the Alfred E. Alquist Special Recognition Medal and in 2020 he received an honorary membership in the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California.

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