A world-renowned civil and humanitarian engineer receives an honorary doctorate at a graduation ceremony at Chico State

In 2002, Kit Miyamoto made the bold decision to rename his small Sacramento-based engineering firm, Mar Shaffer & Miyamoto, as Miyamoto International.

At the time, his company had no global presence, but Miyamoto (Civil Engineering, ’89) was resolute in executing his mission to “make the world a better and safer place” from day one.

Changing the business name was a sign of things to come. Miyamoto International Corporation has become a specialist in disaster risk reduction and structural engineering with 30 offices around the world.

Serving as the company’s CEO and humanitarian coordinator, Miyamoto leads Miyamoto Global Disaster Relief, its charitable arm that applies his engineering expertise in the aftermath of fires, floods, earthquakes and wars.

In recognition of his humanitarian leadership, exceptional professional excellence, and enduring connection to CSU, the Board of Trustees of CSU and Chico State will confer on Miyamoto an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (LHD) degree during the May 15 commencement ceremony.

When asked to pinpoint the beginning of his path as a world-renowned expert in disaster resilience, response and reconstruction, Miyamoto didn’t hesitate: Chikou Prefecture.

A nonconformist from a young age, he immigrated to the United States from Okinawa, Japan, in 1982 after high school to pursue his dream of playing professional football for the Dallas Cowboys. Miyamoto played at Butte College for a few years before a knee injury sidelined his playing career, so he focused on his backup plan.

He said he had always been interested in science, mathematics and engineering, but Professor Emeritus Russell Mills, who taught earthquake engineering, eventually inspired him to enter the field.

“Civil engineering is broad—you can go into structural, water, or transportation engineering—but through his classes, I found my focus in structural engineering and, more specifically, earthquake engineering.”

After graduation, Miyamoto joined the structural engineering firm Mar Shafir. He holds a master’s degree in civil and structural engineering from Sacramento State and a doctorate in earthquake engineering from the Tokyo Institute of Technology.

In 1997, Miyamoto bought the company from his mentor John Shaffer, who was nearing retirement. By the early 2000s, the company had rapidly expanded beyond Sacramento where Miyamoto had built a reputation for innovation in structural engineering, particularly through his early advocacy of fluid viscous dampers and seismic energy dissipation devices. Simply put, he saw these devices as an economical, practical and effective solution to a long-standing problem, reducing impact, stress and movement without changing how the structure was built. As his experience grew, he sought to share his knowledge more widely, shaping his vision for global expansion.

“At some point, I started to wonder: Why don’t we share this technology and knowledge not just in California, but around the world? This idea became the starting point for our global vision,” he said. “Our goal has always been to make the world a better and safer place – not just locally, but also globally, especially in communities with fewer resources. It is this mindset that has guided us from the beginning.”

One of the first major disasters Miyamoto was involved in was the 2008 Sichuan earthquake in China. Despite government restrictions on travel, especially for engineers, he traveled to Beijing on a tourist visa and traveled to the affected area to understand why so many buildings collapsed. What he witnessed was devastating.

“We already had a mission to make the world safer, but after Sichuan, the mission became even more urgent – ​​and became our battle cry.”

—Kate Miyamoto (Civil Engineering, ’89)

The 7.9-magnitude earthquake occurred Monday afternoon while people were going about their day. School buildings housing thousands of children collapsed into rubble, leaving no survivors behind, although many surrounding buildings remained standing. Miyamoto realized that these failures did not have to happen.

“That experience changed everything,” Miyamoto said. “And then we said, ‘We have to do more because it doesn’t have to be this way.’ We already had a mission to make the world safer, but after Sichuan, the mission became even more urgent — and it became our battle cry.”

Over the years, his teams have responded to more than 100 global and U.S. disasters, assessed more than 600,000 damaged buildings, and rebuilt more than 50,000 — helping communities recover, rebuild, and thrive. He has led major recovery efforts around the world, including reconstruction work following the devastating fires in Los Angeles in 2025. Miyamoto has also responded in the wake of earthquakes and international conflicts in countries such as Turkey, Haiti, Gaza, Nepal, Ukraine, New Zealand and many other crisis areas.

Miyamoto calls Haiti a third home, where he lived for nearly four years after the 2010 earthquake, where he helped lead a massive damage assessment effort, trained nearly 700 Haitian engineers, and supported the evaluation and repair of hundreds of thousands of buildings to international standards.

Miyamoto continues to provide expert engineering and policy guidance to the World Bank, UN agencies, governments and major corporations. He has also served as California’s Seismic Safety Commissioner since 2011, when he was appointed by then-Governor Jerry Brown and later reappointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. In 2024, Engineering News-Record selected Miyamoto to receive an Award of Excellence.

Miyamoto, whose career has transformed structural engineering and the safety and resiliency of communities around the world, embodies the ideals of CSU, said President Steve Perez.

“Throughout his career, Dr. Miyamoto has treated disaster areas not as project sites, but as communities deserving of dignity, safety and hope,” he said. “After large-scale disasters, it routinely deploys to severely affected areas to assess building safety, support emergency response operations, and direct recovery strategies that protect lives and preserve cultural heritage.”

Miyamoto’s colleagues say his courage is unparalleled. He puts his life on the line and commands the respect of foreign governments because he not only responds to areas of devastation, but also returns, as he did in Haiti, a place he considers a third home and where his company established a long-term presence in the wake of the major earthquake in Port-au-Prince in 2010.

David Alexander, dean of the College of Engineering, Computer Science and Construction Management, said that what stands out most about Miyamoto is not only his technical expertise, but also his deep humanity.

“Whether he is coordinating disaster recovery efforts in disaster-stricken areas or mentoring young engineers in seismic design, he embodies what it means to use education for the greater good,” he said. “For Chico State, he is a living embodiment of how our graduates change the world.”

What made Chico State particularly impactful for Miyamoto was the learning environment. Classes were intimate, often with only 20 students, and he had real access to his professors. He spent hours in their offices asking questions and solving problems.

“I would review entire engineering textbooks and solve each problem, then ask my questions to the professors during office hours,” he said.

Outside of the classroom, his time as a resident advisor at Whitney Hall and as a member of Delta Chi also helped him hone communication and leadership skills and develop the entrepreneurial mindset that set him apart in his field and continues to shape who he is today.

Despite the chaos, destruction and loss of life he witnessed over the years, Miyamoto did not waver in his commitment to humanitarian service.

“What inspires me daily is people,” he said. “I’ve seen that adversity often brings out the best in human nature. Whether it’s war, fires or earthquakes, you see incredible acts of bravery and humanity. In Haiti in 2010, I even witnessed gang members risk their lives to save their neighbors. That kind of selflessness stays with you. I’ve seen Ukrainian mothers and daughters determined to return home, even when those homes are close to the front lines. That kind of resilience and courage is very moving.”

He also sees it within his team and how his 300 employees have become passionate and inspired to help others in these situations.

Miyamoto is the 23rd honorary degree recipient from Chiko Prefecture in the university’s 139-year history. Other influential awardees from Chico State are:

Sheikha Jameela bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, 2022 Sterling Matton, DSc, 2019 Debra A. Cannon, Doctor of Humane Letters, 2019 Dennis Murphy, Doctor of Humane Letters, 2018 Doug Guerrero, Doctor of Humane Letters, 2017 Wendell J. Lundberg, Doctor of Humane Letters, 2013 Sandra Lerner, Doctor of Humane Letters, 2012 Edward Rollins, Doctor of Humane Letters, 2012 David C. Favor, Doctor of Humane Letters, 2010 Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi, Doctor of Fine Arts, 2009 Ken Grossman, Doctor of Humane Letters, 2008 Marilyn Wade Warren, Doctor of Fine Arts, 2008 Jack L. Rollins, DHS, 2007 Rafael Sanchez, DHS, 2007 Floyd English, DHS, 2005 Marshall Lloyd Ginter, DHS, 2004 Glenn Tunney, DHS, 2004 Steve J. Nettleton, Doctor of Humane Letters, 2003 Judy Lynn Seaton, Doctor of Humane Letters, 2003 Savio L. Wu, Doctor of Science, 1998 Ernest L. Boyer, Doctor of Humane Letters, 1988 John F. O’Connell, Doctor of Humane Letters, 1985

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos