Academy of Distinguished Alumni
Janiele Maffei M.S., P.E., S.E.
Inducted to the Academy of Distinguished Alumni on
Janiele Maffei received an M.S. degree (1980) in Civil (Structural) Engineering and A.B. degree (1978) in Architecture, both from the University of California, Berkeley.
Ms. Maffei is licensed as both a Civil Engineer and Structural Engineer in California with 36 years of experience in the design of new buildings, retrofit designs of existing buildings, seismic evaluations, seismic loss estimation studies, design of equipment anchorages, preparation of construction documents, and construction administration. After fifteen years as a project manager and regional office director with Degenkolb Engineers, she opened her own practice where she managed complex design projects involving many disciplines. In 2011, Ms. Maffei joined the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) as its Chief Mitigation Officer. In this capacity, she serves as the Executive Director of the California Residential Mitigation Program. She was a Board Member and Chair of the Economic Development Committee for the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, and was Chair of the Technical Advisory Committee for the Piedmont School District Measure E Seismic Retrofit Program.
As Executive Director of the California Residential Retrofit Program, Ms. Maffei has been responsible for developing policies, plans, and incentives for retrofitting wood frame residential construction throughout California in order to, along with insurance, mitigate the consequence of a major earthquake in California. She also co-manages, with representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the CEA/FEMA-funded Applied Technology Council (ATC) Project 110, Prestandard for the Seismic Retrofit of Single-Family Wood-Framed Dwellings. For CEA, she managed the 2014 South Napa Earthquake single-family dwelling research project. Her professional leadership positions include: Structural Engineers Association of Northern California, Board of Directors, (1995-1997); Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI), Northern California Chapter, President (2010-2011); and EERI, Board of Directors, Secretary and Treasurer (2012-present).
In her professional practice, Ms. Maffei had responsibility for managing several major projects on the University of California, Berkeley campus, including the Doe Library Seismic Retrofit, the Le Conte Hall Seismic Retrofit, the Bowles Hall Seismic Study, and the Cesar E. Chavez Student Center Seismic Study. She presently serves on the Advisory Committee of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Over the years, she has been a speaker in many classes and seminars on campus.