Kevin Bush

Biography: As DC’s first Chief Resilience Officer, Bush lead a citywide effort to develop Resilient DC, a strategy to thrive in the face of change. Now, he leads efforts, within the Executive Office of the Mayor, to implement that strategy and prepare the nation’s capital for climate change, technological disruption, and a changing economy. He also serves as the Chief of Resilience and Emergency Preparedness. In that capacity he supervises a staff of 25 and budget of over $15 million to oversee the District’s long-term risk reduction, planning, training and exercises, including hazard mitigation, critical infrastructure preparedness, disaster recovery and preparedness, and public and private sector engagement. This includes the District’s regional preparedness work with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and planning and training to increase the District’s preparedness to a variety of potential risks Bush has extensive experience building coalitions to design and execute award-winning resilience initiatives, including Rebuild by Design, the National Disaster Resilience Competition, and the Multifamily Better Buildings Challenge. He previously led efforts at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to plan for the impact of climate change. Bush also served on President Obama’s Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force and at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. He has also been both a Presidential Management Fellow and City of Chicago Mayoral Fellow. Bush is a widely recognized expert in urban resilience, climate change mitigation and adaptation, disaster recovery, affordable housing, and infrastructure. Bush holds a Masters of Urban Planning from the University of Michigan and a Bachelors of Arts in Business from Michigan State University.