Dr. Sandra Knight

Project Description:

Sandra Knight is the President of WaterWonks LLC, District of Columbia and a part-time Senior Research Engineer at the Center for Disaster Resilience, University of Maryland.  Capitalizing on her extensive experience as a senior leader at the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), she now works with her academic partners and clients providing expertise in national policy, strategic planning, and technical matters in the areas of disaster resilience, flood risk management, hydraulic engineering and marine transportation.  She currently serves as a US PIANC Commissioner, a member of the Marine Board and the US Ocean Decade Committee, NASEM, a DC Climate Change and Resiliency Commissioner and an advisor to the Women’s Aquatic Network.

As the former Deputy Associate Administrator for Mitigation at FEMA, Sandra was responsible for the nation’s floodplain mapping, management and mitigation grants supporting the National Flood Insurance Program, environmental compliance for the agency, oversight of mitigation disaster cadres and the National Dam Safety Program.  At NOAA, she was responsible for corporate policies and planning strategies for NOAA research.  At USACE, she conducted hydraulic research, directed navigation research programs, led the first USACE asset management program, and was the international chair of PIANC’s inland navigation commission (INCOM).

Sandra is a science communicator and speaker appearing on NBC Nightly, CNBC, HBO Vice News and CBS This Morning, and contributing to various news media including the New York Times, ProPublica, Bloomberg and E&E News.  She speaks at conferences and forums around the world on disaster resilience.

Sandra has a PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Memphis, TN, 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 Women’s Aquatic Network, Sigma Xi and a Fellow for PIANC.