Infrastructure Bank’s Shaun O’Rourke Appointed State’s First Chief Resilience Officer

Governor Gina Raimondo recently signed an executive order appointing Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank’s Shaun O’Rourke as the State’s first-ever Chief Resilience Officer.  In addition to his existing responsibilities at RIIB, O'Rourke will work with a variety of stakeholders in developing a Climate Resiliency Action Strategy to better prepare Rhode Island for the effects of climate change and severe weather events.

“21 out of 39 communities are coastal – we are uniquely vulnerable to the dangers of climate change,” said Governor Raimondo. “It’s real, and coming up with a climate resiliency plan is as important as anything else we do.”

As Chief Resilience Officer, O’Rourke is tasked with identifying key actions and investments to make Rhode Island’s residents, economy, infrastructure, health system, and natural resources more resilient to the impact of climate change. To identify these actions and local resiliency priorities, the Infrastructure Bank is hosting a series of "Resiliency Roundtables" with members of the public to gather diverse perspectives in specific geographies across the state. O’Rourke has recently moderated the first four roundtable events and several more are scheduled for the coming weeks.