Edward A Thomas

Ed Thomas is a Floodplain Manager, and Disaster Response and Recovery Specialist, who is also an Attorney. His primary concern is the prevention of misery to disaster victims, the public purse, and to the environment. Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation through the Law is his chosen method of accomplishing this goal.
Ed Thomas is the President of the Natural Hazard Mitigation Association. He is both an elected Fellow of the American Bar Association Foundation and an elected member of the Council of the State and Local Government Section of the American Bar Association (ABA). He is also the Chair of the Hazards Sub-Committee of the Land Use Planning and Zoning Committee, of the ABA. In addition, Ed serves on the Advisory Committee of the Natural Hazards Center of the University of Colorado; and is an Instructor at the Harvard University School of Executive Education. Ed is also an active member of the Association of State Wetland Managers, and the American Planning Association. He is a former board Member of the Association of State Floodplain Managers.
Ed retired from the Department of Homeland Security-Federal Emergency Management Agency after nearly thirty-five years of Public Service. During his time in government, he worked primarily in Disaster Mitigation, Preparedness and Response. He also was extensively involved in Community Development, during his nearly 10 years with the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Ed also worked for the Michael Baker Jr. Engineering firm for over eight years.
Ed worked on about two hundred disasters and emergencies, serving as the President’s on scene representative, the Federal Coordinating Officer, dozens of times.
Attorney Thomas is a graduate of Fordham College and a magna cum laude graduate of the New England School of Law in Boston. He a frequent lecturer on Emergency Management issues, especially the Constitutional and Legal Aspects of Floodplain Regulations. He has authored dozens of publications and articles on various Disaster related issues and regularly participates as a member of National Task Forces and other boards in developing National disaster-related and floodplain management policies.
Ed has received numerous national and international awards including the nation’s highest award for Floodplain Management: The Goddard-White Award from the Association of State Floodplain Managers. In addition, he received the Gulf of Maine Visionary Award from the International Gulf of Maine Council, for his efforts in helping develop the NOAA StormSmart Coasts Program; as well as the first lifetime achievement award from the Georgia Association of Floodplain Management; and an Arkansas Floodplain Management Association “Silver Sandbag” Award.
He manages a private practice of Law, Edward A. Thomas Esq., LLC and lives with his wife in the floodplain of beautiful Marina Bay in Quincy, Massachusetts.