Atlanta’s chief resilience officer leaving city role

After a year in the Bottoms Administration, Atlanta’s Chief Resilience Officer Amol Naik will leave his current role at the end of the month.

“My family has long been coping with the difficult impacts of Alzheimer’s disease, and it has become clear in recent days that it is time for me to be with my family and rally around my mother,” said Naik. “Under the leadership of Mayor Bottoms, I am proud of what we have accomplished in such a short period of time. From the passage of Clean Energy Atlanta to the reimagining of the Atlanta City Detention Center, I have been honored to have a front row seat to some of our city’s most remarkable milestones. Thank you to Mayor Bottoms and the entire team for the privilege to serve the City.”

After serving on Mayor Bottoms’ transition team, Naik joined the administration in July. In his role as Chief Resilience Officer, Naik oversaw several significant initiatives designed to actualize Mayor Bottoms’ One Atlanta mission—to create an affordable, resilient and equitable Atlanta that is a safe and welcoming city with world-class employees, infrastructure and services; an ethical, transparent, and fiscally responsible government.

Among the initiatives:

• The unanimous passage of Clean Energy Atlanta, a comprehensive plan to transition the City and community to 100% clean energy by 2035;
• The transformation of 7.1 acres into what is now the nation's largest food forest;
• The reimagining of the Atlanta City Detention Center and creation of a Task Force charged with evaluating the use of the building as a Center for Equity;
• The allocation of $100,000 to provide Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) services to high-risk populations in Atlanta;
• The selection of Atlanta to participate in the American Cities Climate Challenge, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies and valued at $2-3 million, to support bold solutions to meet or exceed Atlanta's equivalent of the U.S. emission reduction targets under the Paris Climate Agreement.

Naik’s resignation is effective June 28, 2019. Chief Equity Officer Bill Hawthorne will serve as interim Chief Resilience Officer and oversee the One Atlanta office.