Marissa Aho Tapped For Houston's Chief Resilience Officer

HOUSTON — Mayor Sylvester Turner announced Monday that Marissa Aho will take the reins as Houston's chief resilience officer.

Aho, who comes to Houston from Los Angeles, will oversee the development of a comprehensive resilience strategy that will help the city better deal with crisis and stresses of disasters, as well as the projected growth of the city.

“As we ‘build forward’ to make Houston more resilient in the next storm or another kind of catastrophe, we are deeply fortunate to have Marissa Aho on our team starting today, the day that marks 18 months since Hurricane Harvey,’’ Mayor Turner said. "Marissa brings a wealth of knowledge and unique experience as a former CRO of a major city.

Aho's position is funded through 100 Resilient Cities - Pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation, helps cities around the world become more resilient to social, economic, and physical challenges that are a growing part of the 21st century.

The program provides funding for a chief resilience officer in each city leading resiliency efforts, as well as resources for drafting an effective resilience strategy.

"I’m grateful to 100 Resilient Cities – Pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation and Shell for its generosity and support, which show once again how important partnerships with private and non-profit groups are as we guide Houston into a promising future," Turner added. "The 100 Resilient Cities initiative will allow Houston to embark on a comprehensive journey that brings together some of the city's most thoughtful leaders and national experts to create a resiliency plan that that is uniquely Houston and helps us to grow and thrive."

A diverse, thriving metropolis, Houston is driven by strong neighborhoods, renowned research institutions, and the large presence of the energy industry.

The city’s location on the Gulf Coast has translated into significant preparation for extreme weather events and severe storms, most recently Hurricane Harvey in 2017.

Houston nevertheless remains vulnerable to less-familiar shocks and stresses such as addressing environmental degradation, strengthening its transportation network, and improving access to economic opportunity.

City leaders are hopeful that Aho can better prepare Houstonians for those potential "shocks."

Aho who served in the same role for the City of Los Angeles for four years, created and implemented Resilient Los Angeles, a comprehensive plan featuring 96 immediate actions which gave residents the tools to plan and prepare for inevitable shocks and stresses.

Aho will be charged with fostering a citywide dialogue on these types of challenges, and build partnerships and processes that ensure Houston’s ability to thrive in a rapidly-changing global economy.

“Marissa has been a true leader in our network, and we expect great things from Houston with her at the resilience helm,” said Michael Berkowitz, President of 100 Resilient Cities. “Given the city’s unique geography and interplay of critical challenges, the resilience work coming out of Houston will be an asset to the resilience movement worldwide.”

Click the link to learn more about 100 Resilient Cities.

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