Sean McGowan

As the earthquake program manager and building science lead for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region VIII, Sean McGowan collaborates with states in the Rocky Mountain Region to mitigate earthquake risk and adopt resilient building codes. In addition, he provides training and outreach in partnership with state and local leaders. McGowan is enhancing FEMA’s readiness for major earthquakes and serves as the subject matter expert for FEMA’s response to regional earthquakes–including along the Wasatch fault.

McGowan’s passion is championing earthquake mitigation across the country, particularly in high-hazard areas that have not experienced disastrous earthquakes in recent memory (such as Utah’s Wasatch front). As FEMA’s lead for several projects aimed at earthquake risk reduction, McGowan is in it for the long haul and sees mitigation as an integral part of a long-term partnership to empower Mountain West residents to protect their lives, property, and quality of life.

In his previous role with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), McGowan led multiple projects aimed at demystifying building codes and promoting access to information engineers need for earthquake design. McGowan advised insurers, lenders, engineers, emergency managers, and lay users on hundreds of millions of dollars of development annually. In his current role, he routinely breaks down silos to incorporate leading-edge science and engineering into FEMA’s earthquake response planning and mitigation efforts.

McGowan holds a bachelor’s in structural engineering from Princeton University and a master’s in civil engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is a professional engineer licensed in Colorado.