Resilient Cities Catalyst Expands Board of Directors, Welcomes Lt. General (Ret.) Thomas P. Bostick and Dr. Helene D. Gayle
Bostick served as 53rd Chief of Engineer of the U.S. Army and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Gayle serves as President and CEO of The Chicago Community Trust, and previously served as President and CEO of CARE.
NEW YORK, January 27, 2021 /3BL Media/ - Resilient Cities Catalyst (RCC) today announced the expansion of its Board of Directors, welcoming two new members: Lt. General (Ret.) Thomas P. Bostick, who served as 53rd Chief Engineer of the United States Army and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Dr. Helene D. Gayle, President and CEO of The Chicago Community Trust. RCC, a nonprofit comprised of urban practitioners and resilience experts with deep experience in cities around the world, was launched in January 2020.
Gen. Bostick and Dr. Gayle join founding RCC Board Members: Dr. Judith Rodin, former President of both The Rockefeller Foundation and the University of Pennsylvania; Henk Ovink, Special Envoy for International Water Affairs for the Kingdom of the Netherlands; and Andrew Salkin, Founding Principal, Resilient Cities Catalyst and Former Senior Vice President of Global Resilience Practice, 100 Resilient Cities -- Pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation.
“As Resilient Cities Catalyst moves into its second year, we welcome the expertise of Gen. Bostick and Dr. Gayle to help lead the growth of both our organization and the field of resilience,” said Dr. Rodin, President of RCC’s Board of Directors. “As 2020 showed all too well, we live in a time that requires thinking and solutions that embrace resilience to tackle the known and unknown threats ahead. The depth of experience Gen. Bostick and Dr. Gayle bring to RCC will be invaluable for our work ahead.”
As Chief of Engineers and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gen. Bostick helped lead the nation’s response in the wake of Superstorm Sandy in 2012. He served as Director of Personnel for the U.S. Army, responsible for the human resource requirements for over 1 million soldiers and 330,000 civilians. Gen. Bostick also served as the Commanding General, U.S. Army Recruiting Command; and Assistant Division Commander of Maneuver, then Assistant Division Commander of Support for the 1st Cavalry Division. He deployed with the division in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom before commanding the Gulf Region Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers where he was responsible for an $18B construction program. During the attacks on 9/11, he served as the senior watch officer in the National Military Command Center as the nation responded to the crisis.
"In the U.S., the unmet infrastructure need is in the billions. 2020 has underscored the importance of building resilience into our infrastructure, to prepare for the known and unknown challenges ahead," said Lt. General (Ret.) Bostick. "I'm proud to join the Resilient Cities Catalyst Board of Directors to help communities around the country build back better, with resilience as the focus."
Dr. Gayle has been president and CEO of The Chicago Community Trust, one of the nation’s oldest and largest community foundations, since 2017. For almost a decade, she was president and CEO of CARE, a leading international humanitarian organization. An expert on global development, humanitarian and health issues, Dr. Gayle spent 20 years with the Centers for Disease Control, working primarily on HIV/AIDS. She worked at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, directing programs on HIV/AIDS and other global health issues.
"I was proud of what 100 Resilient Cities accomplished. I am pleased to be joining the RCC board because I hope we can continue that work to make the most vulnerable communities more livable, sustainable, and resilient," said Dr. Gayle, who served on The Rockefeller Foundation Board of Trustees during the formation of 100 Resilient Cities. “I’ve seen firsthand in the communities I’ve worked with, how resilience planning and projects can change the trajectory of cities."
“Resilience building involves understanding how social and infrastructure systems interact to make a place more or less resilient. That's why it is so exciting to have board members with a diversity of experience in these fields joining our team,” said Salkin.
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About Resilient Cities Catalyst
Resilient Cities Catalyst (RCC) is a nonprofit composed of urban practitioners and resilience experts with deep experience working in cities around the world. RCC joins with cities worldwide to help them better leverage the experience, resources, and energies of their leaders, managers, communities, companies, and urbanists to realize their collective visions. Founded by executives from 100 Resilient Cities, RCC’s work is anchored in the knowledge gained in the development of the urban resilience movement. For more info, please visit: www.rcc.city.
