Water seeks its own level; strive to be a person of high character and high construction.

Steve McMaster, CFM

Principal Hazard Mitigation Analyst

As a self-professed weather and hazards geek, Steve has had long-time interests in weather and earth sciences. While pursuing undergraduate degrees in Geography and Geology, he remembers a natural hazards course as a defining milestone in directing his career choice. After taking coursework in sociology, geomorphology, and water resources, he developed an interest in understanding how people behave and respond to natural hazard risk. While in graduate school, Steve’s studies concentrated on floodplain management and emergency management. He has held professional positions as a hazard mitigation specialist and mitigation program coordinator at state agencies, where he was able to provide mitigation and floodplain management assistance to local communities and property owners.

At Ideation, Steve’s areas of focus include project management, directing or conducting research and analysis, writing technical reports, and delivering training instruction. He provides specialized technical expertise in the subject of hazard mitigation assistance, including programmatic requirements, benefit-cost analysis, and the grants management lifecycle. He is known for being methodical, thorough, and detail-oriented; exhibiting responsive customer service; and having a penchant for enabling students to learn skills they can apply on the job. He maintains a passion for helping those who are at risk or are suffering from natural disasters. He likes to stay abreast of hazard mitigation policy changes and, for more than 15 years, he has served as the annual National Conference Program Chair for the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM).

In addition to his job at Ideation, Steve has a second job helping to raise his daughters and pup, Cici. Beyond these jobs, he enjoys being outdoors for gardening, biking, hiking, and geocaching. He also enjoys being mentally challenged by crossword, word jumble, KenKen, and Sudoku puzzles.