Laurie Johnson is an internationally recognized urban planner specializing in disaster recovery and catastrophe risk management. For over 30 years, she has combined her unique blend of professional practice and research in earth science, urban planning and public policy to help communities and the insurance industry address complex challenges posed by natural hazards and disasters.

She founded her consultancy in 2006 and much of her community recovery management and research around the world is captured in her recent book, After Great Disasters: An In-Depth Analysis of How Six Countries Managed Community Recovery. In 2020, she also assumed the role of Chief Catastrophe Response and Resiliency Officer for the California Earthquake Authority and California Wildfire Fund.

Laurie is a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners, the 2019-2020 President of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, and also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Earthquakes and Megacities Initiative and the advisory board of the Global Earthquake Model. She holds a Doctor of Informatics degree from Kyoto University, and a Master of Urban Planning and Bachelor of Science in Geophysics, both from Texas A&M University.