Mira Papinova
Project Manager, NIBS

Mira Papinova, Project Manager in the Multi-Hazard Mitigation and Building Seismic Safety groups. She has more than 10 years of experience in construction project management, complex problem resolution, strategic planning and execution. She is one of the lead managers actively involved in administering and managing the Scientific Resolution Panel (SRP) project, the purpose of which is to perform independent reviews and resolve conflicting scientific and technical data submitted by communities challenging FEMA’s NFIP Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM). As a member of the Multi-Hazard Mitigation Council (MMC) and Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC), she assists in coordinating collaborations and partnerships for the Roadmap to Resilience 2.0 initiative. Formerly, she was a Project Manager for several general contractors in the Mid-Atlantic region, where she oversaw a variety of multi-million construction projects, such as hospitals, educational facilities, apartment buildings, and office buildings. She holds an MPA and a B.S. in Construction Management.

Dr. Sean Becketti
Principal, Elliott Bay Analytics

Sean Becketti is a financial industry veteran with four decades of experience in academics, government and private industry. Over the last three decades, Dr. Becketti has led proprietary research teams at several leading financial firms, responsible for the models underlying the valuation, hedging and relative value analysis of some of the largest fixed-income portfolios in the world. More recently, Dr. Becketti has turned his attention to the impact of climate change on housing and housing finance. Dr. Becketti holds a Doctorate and Master of Arts in economics from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Jeff Dunsavage
Senior Research Analyst, Insurance Information Institute

Jeff Dunsavage is Senior Research Analyst at the Insurance Information Institute. In this role, he investigates and writes on a wide range of issues and topics relevant to risk and insurance.

A business writer and editor with experience spanning industries from insurance and banking to metals and telecom, Jeff has worked for Standard & Poor’s, AM Best, MetLife and Verisk Analytics. He has worked in diverse capacities, including editorial and publications management; media relations and marketing; and communication around operational metrics and process improvement.

In all these roles, Jeff’s focus has been on transforming data and expertise into compelling stories intended to drive business strategy and support decision making.

Jeff has a B.A. in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College in Annapolis, Md., and an M.A. in Corporate and Organizational Communication from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, N.J.

Sean Kevelighan
President & CEO, Insurance Information Institute

Sean Kevelighan joined the Insurance Information Institute as President and Chief Executive Officer in 2016. Previously, he was Group Head of Public Affairs for Zurich Insurance Group where he oversaw Government and Industry Affairs as well as Corporate Responsibility. He joined Zurich in May 2013 as Head of Government and Industry Affairs for North America, with responsibility for driving the public policy agenda in the region. Prior to that, he worked at Citigroup, Inc., as Head of Strategic Communications for its Global Consumer Banking business, and for Zurich, as Head of Group Media Relations in North America. He has served in various public sector posts in Washington, D.C. As a political appointee in the administration of President George W. Bush, he served first in the Department of Treasury as a spokesperson for economic issues, and eventually became Senior Advisor for the Office of Tax Policy. He was also the Press Secretary for the White House Office of Management and Budget. Additionally, he worked on Capitol Hill, serving on the staff of members of Congress; most notably as Legislative Director for Representative Bob Schaffer of Colorado. Sean's private sector experience in Washington, D.C. included positions at public affairs firms such as Edelman and Hill & Knowlton. He advised numerous multinational and FORTUNE 100 corporate clients on policy issue management programs, corporate reputation campaigns and crisis communications. Sean is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder. He and his wife Annik have three children and reside in Washington, DC.

Dr. Keith Porter
Chief Engineer, Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction

Dr. Keith Porter is a structural engineer with 35 years of university and professional experience in catastrophe risk management and performance-based engineering. He led development of NIBS’ study Natural Hazard Mitigation Saves, its resilience incentivization roadmap 1.0, the engineering for the US Geological Survey’s groundbreaking ShakeOut, ARkStorm, Tsunami, and HayWired planning scenarios, and other notable studies for NIBS, FEMA, the USGS, and others. Dr. Porter serves as chief engineer for the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction, Canada’s leading source for disaster resilience information.

Dr. Jiqiu (JQ) Yuan
Vice President, Engineering, NIB

Dr. Jiqiu (JQ) Yuan, P.E., PMP, is a professional engineer with more than 15 years of research and development experience. He specializes in making infrastructure and communities resilient against natural disasters. Dr. Yuan is actively involved in the development of guidelines, codes, standards, polices, and applied research programs in a variety of building science fields. As a senior executive with NIBS, he leads organization-wide initiatives that support interdisciplinary and inter-organizational collaboration, providing strategic leadership in developing new initiatives in emerging areas and promoting innovative solutions in the built environment. Formerly, Dr. Yuan was a researcher with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center. He also served as an adjunct professor with George Mason University and George Washington University.