As Global Resilient Cities Network’s Executive Director, Lauren oversees global efforts to strengthen cities in the face of the complex and interconnected challenges they face. Leading a Team of urban resilience professionals in London, Mexico City, New York, and Singapore in collaboration with Chief Resilience Officers in 40 countries, her work builds on the unique capacity, breadth and legacy of the 100 Resilient Cities Program to enhance the resilience of communities and critical infrastructure. She also serves as an advisor and spokesperson on urban resilience, sustainable finance, climate risk, stakeholder engagement, and urbanization trends.
Previously with the Asian Development Bank, Lauren led the Bank’s first ever climate change investment plan before moving to the ADB’s Vietnam Office to mainstream climate risks and opportunities in the country’s US$7 billion portfolio. Before joining the ADB, she led knowledge management efforts for two USAID programs: the Eco-Asia Clean Development and Climate Program in China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam; and the Initiative for Conservation in the Andean Amazon in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. She has published work on biofuels, climate change, infant mortality and HIV/AIDS.
Lauren holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Tufts University and a Master of Science in Environment and Development from the London School of Economics. She is also a certified holistic health counselor and yoga instructor. She speaks fluent Spanish and Hebrew.
Authored Content
Jun 26 2020 Blog Post There is No Resilient Recovery Without Equity Whether managing dense housing and mass transit, providing water and sanitation, or creating small business incentives or cultural events, cities concentrate both risk and opportunity. Never has this been clearer than during the current Covid-19 pandemic, and urban communities have not been equally impacted. In the U.S., African-Americans face a Covid-19 death rate that is […]
Apr 03 2020 Blog Post GRCN Coronavirus Speaker Series: Sharing Knowledge to Respond with Resilience GRCN Coronavirus Speaker Series: Sharing Knowledge to Respond with Resilience is a weekly session organized by the Global Resilient Cities Network (GRCN), a grantee supported by The Rockefeller Foundation, and the World Bank as a knowledge sharing session for cities in response to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic. Bookmark this page to check back on […]
Apr 13 2016 Blog Post Empower Women, Build Resilience A version of this post originally appeared on 100 Resilient Cities. Building urban resilience is most effective when women have integral roles in the process, but too often they are excluded from decision-making completely. This is particularly problematic because women in lower income cities and marginal areas are disproportionately affected by everyday stresses—things like inefficient transportation systems and […]