Photo Courtesy of MIT
Jainey Bavishi
By Forum Staff
The leader of the climate preparedness pillar of the President’s Climate Action Plan, Jainey Bavishi, has been named the Director of the Office of Recovery and Resiliency.
Bavishi is an expert in climate adaptation and resiliency whose work is nationally recognized. She will lead the City’s OneNYC resiliency program, preparing the city for the impacts of climate change and other 21st century threats. This includes significant initiatives within the City’s multilayered resiliency program working to strengthen neighborhoods, adapt buildings, improve infrastructure and upgrade the coastline. She also will serve as the Deputy Chief Resilience Officer as part of New York City’s participation in the 100 Resilient Cities program, pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation.
As a coastal city, New York faces many challenges and risks and the implications of the impacts of climate change are a dangerous threat to neighborhoods, infrastructure and the economy. Bavishi’s experience establishes her as qualified to anticipate problems New York communities may face and in turn develop viable plans of action.
“Climate change continues to be one of the greatest challenges of our time, demanding creativity and leadership to ensure we are better prepared and emerge stronger from the impacts of climate change and related threats. New York City and the de Blasio administration continue to lead the globe through our ground-breaking OneNYC program of inclusive climate actions,” said Daniel Zarrilli, Senior Director for Climate Policy and Programs and Chief Resilience Officer for the Office of the Mayor. “With the addition of Jainey Bavishi to our team, the City will expand its global leadership on climate adaptation and resiliency. I’m thrilled to have Jainey join the team as we raise the bar and achieve our ambitious climate commitments.”
Bavishi will report to Daniel Zarrilli, who will continue in his role leading the City’s integrated climate team, including overseeing the work of the Office of Recovery and Resiliency, the Office of Sustainability, the Office of Environmental Coordination and the coordination of the OneNYC program.
In the final year of the Obama Administration, Bavishi was responsible for embedding and institutionalizing climate resilience considerations across Federal programs and policies; advancing climate equity to address the disproportionate impacts of climate change on low-income and other vulnerable communities; and developing innovative approaches to climate adaptation finance.
Prior to this, Bavishi served as the Executive Director of R3ADY Asia-Pacific based in Honolulu, Hawaii, which focused on enhancing disaster risk reduction and resilience in the Asia-Pacific region.
