100 Resilient Cities - Pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation Leaders Named

NEW YORK, Oct. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Rockefeller Foundation announced today two appointments to the 100 Resilient Cities team, to help spearhead increased urban resilience around the world. Andrew Salkin will serve as the organization's Chief Operating Officer, and Bryna Lipper as its Vice President of Relationships.

100 Resilient Cities – Pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation (100 Resilient Cities), is an independent organization established by the Foundation as a hub of urban resilience thinking and action, and the focal point for the network of cities being created through its 100 Resilient Cities Centennial Challenge. Cities selected for the network will receive support to hire a Chief Resilience Officer, and will have access to a platform of services to build and implement resilience plans. To date, service providers include Swiss Re, the American Institute of Architects, Architecture for Humanity, and Palantir.

Mr. Salkin joins 100 Resilient Cities from New York City's Department of Finance, where he was the Deputy Commissioner of Operations, managing more than 800 people and responsible for collecting $30 billion annually through real estate, business, and excise taxes, as well as parking summonses. In this role he improved efficiencies and customer service, including introducing web-based payment options. Previously he served as the First Deputy Commissioner of the Taxi and Limousine Commission, overseeing day-to-day operations of the agency including the regulations of New York City's medallion taxi fleet, livery vehicles, commuter vans and paratransit vehicles – comprising 50,000 vehicles and 100,000 drivers. Hallmark projects of Salkin's included equipping taxis with credit card payment machines, and New York City's Taxi of Tomorrow competition.  

As the Chief Operating Officer for 100 Resilient Cities, Mr. Salkin will lead the organization's day-to-day operations and implement its vision to support cities in preparing for and rebounding from the shocks and stresses of the 21st century.

"From my tenure in New York City's government, I know that cities are on the front lines of public innovation in the 21st century. They have to be, and at 100 Resilient Cities we have an incredible opportunity to help cities around the world to be smarter and better prepared as they plan for both the known and the unknown. I'm thrilled to be joining this team and to support cities globally," said Mr. Salkin.

Ms. Lipper comes to the organization from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) where she most recently served as the Director for Philanthropic Research and Initiatives, leading efforts to spur philanthropic partnerships, promote policy innovation, and increase investments aligned with federal priorities. She also led innovative programs around municipal capacity building and social impact investing, in cooperation with local, state and national governments as well as multilateral organizations. Prior to serving at HUD, Lipper was the Vice President for Marketing, Communications and Government Affairs at the National Building Museum, where among other accomplishments led initiatives to increase awareness of issues such as sustainable development, livable cities, disaster design, infrastructure, and affordable housing. With degrees in both architectural design and public administration, Lipper is a longtime advocate for sustainable urban development and helped launch Global Studio, a non-profit organization that encouraged design students and building professionals to work in underserved communities with vulnerable populations.

In her role as Vice President for Relationships at 100 Resilient Cities, Ms. Lipper will build relationships with Chief Resilience Officers and their cities around the world, leading the network through which cities will both receive services and learn from each other.

"I've seen firsthand the role that visionary philanthropic dollars can play in transforming both policy and practice as cities strive to grow and support the health and well-being of their citizens as well as their economic health. The Rockefeller Foundation is a longtime leader both in urban planning and in forging partnerships that upend business-as-usual to drive sustainable change. I'm looking forward to bringing together cities around the world to catalyze their resilience-building efforts," said Ms. Lipper.

The 100 Resilient Cities network's first members will be named on December 3 in New York City at the Foundation's annual Innovation Forum.  

About The Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation aims to achieve equitable growth by expanding opportunity for more people in more places worldwide, and to build resilience by helping them prepare for, withstand, and emerge stronger from acute shocks and chronic stresses. Throughout its 100 year history, The Rockefeller Foundation has enhanced the impact of innovative thinkers and actors working to change the world by providing the resources, networks, convening power, and technologies to move them from idea to impact. In today's dynamic and interconnected world, The Rockefeller Foundation has a unique ability to address the emerging challenges facing humankind through innovation, intervention and influence in order to shape agendas and inform decision making. For more information, please visit www.rockefellerfoundation.org.

About 100 Resilient Cities – Pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation
100 Resilient Cities is dedicated to supporting cities to adopt and incorporate a resilience mindset in their planning, development, and community-building so that they are better prepared for and can quickly rebound from 21st century shocks and stresses. 100 Resilient Cities enables cities around the world to develop and implement resilience plans, provides city leaders a forum to share and learn from others' experiences, and connects them with suppliers, thinkers, and stakeholders who can help them improve their city's resilience. 100 Resilient Cities – Pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation, is financially supported by The Rockefeller Foundation and managed as a sponsored project by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA), an independent 501c3 nonprofit organization that provides governance and operational infrastructure to its sponsored projects. Learn more about RPA at www.rockpa.org.  

SOURCE The Rockefeller Foundation