Seattle now has its first 'chief resilience officer'

Seattle has been tapped by The Rockefeller Foundation as part of its 100 Resilient Cities, and Thursday saw the naming of the city's chief resilience officer. The job is "to build holistic resilience to the social, physical and economic challenges that are an increasing part of the 21st Century." less Seattle has been tapped by The Rockefeller Foundation as part of its 100 Resilient Cities, and Thursday saw the naming of the city's chief resilience officer. The job is "to build holistic resilience to the ... more Photo: GENNA MARTIN/SEATTLEPI.COM Photo: GENNA MARTIN/SEATTLEPI.COM Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close Seattle now has its first 'chief resilience officer' 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray has appointed Jessica Finn Coven to a newly created post as the "Chief Resilience Officer" for the Emerald City.

"As CRO, Finn Coven will report directly to Mayor Murray and oversee the development and implementation of a comprehensive Resilience Strategy for Seattle," said the announcement Thursday by the city.

What does the resilience officer do?

"Position will lead citywide efforts to build holistic resilience to the social, physical and economic challenges that are an increasing part of the 21st Century," the city explained.

"Seattle's Resilience Strategy will be a holistic, action-oriented blueprint to build partnerships and alliances, financing mechanisms, and will pay particular attention to meeting the needs of low-income families, communities of color and other vulnerable populations."

Finn Coven is currently director of the city's Office of Sustainability and Environment and will keep her current job while taking on resilience responsibilities.

Seattle is a founding member of "100 Resilient Cities- Pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation." The foundation will provide a grant to support and fund the Chief Resilience Officer position. Finn Coven will receive support from Rockefeller as she perfects "resilience building tools."

"Jessica's experience and expertise in the complex issues of climate change, affordable housing and inequity will be leveraged in this new role as she helps drive the city's strategy to increase resilience, grow equitably and reduce disproportionate impacts on communities of color," said Murray.

The 100 Resilient Cities organization is part of a $164 million commitment by the Rockefeller Foundation to build urban resilience in 100 cities around the world.

The Emerald City's engagement with 100 Resilient Cities was launched last October with a "Resilience Agenda-Setting Workshop."

The Rockefeller Foundation named a new president and CEO earlier this year. He is Rajiv Shah, who spent a decade with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and headed its agricultural programs. Shah went on to head the U.S. Agency for International Development under President Obama.

"That core concept of resilience is extraordinarily important going forward: It gives us the opportunity to evolve in the future," Shah told The New York Times.

The resilience strategy in Seattle will help the city "prepare for, withstand and bounce back from 'shocks,'" said the announcement, including catastrophic events like heatwaves and floods. It will deal with such long-term "stresses" as climate change, income inequality and impacts of unprecedented growth in a torn-up city.