Michael Berkowitz joined the Rockefeller Foundation in August 2013 to shape and oversee the 100 Resilient Cities. Previously, he worked at Deutsche Bank, most recently as the deputy global head of Operational Risk Management (ORM). In that capacity he oversaw the firm’s OR capital planning efforts, served as a primary regulatory contact and connected the myriad operational risk management efforts group-wide.
He held multiple other positions at DB, including Chief Operating Officer of Corporate Security, Business Continuity (CSBC) and Operational Risk Management, where he had responsibility for budgeting, operations, and global coordination across the group's six workstreams. During this time, he also served as the head of the Bank’s Protective Intelligence unit, designed to assess and analyze security and geo-political threats to the Bank, its staff, processes and information.
Prior to December 2010, he was the CSBC head in APAC with responsibility for all business continuity planning and alternate site operations, as well as physical security, executive and event protection, fraud investigation and prevention, and cybercrime. Between 2005 and 2008 he had management roles for DB in Mumbai, India and New York.
Until January 2005, he was Deputy Commissioner at the Office of Emergency Management in New York City. In this position he worked on major planning initiatives, including the New York City Coastal Storm, Biological Terrorism and Transit Strike contingency plans.
At OEM he led an initiative to create OEM’s Public-Private Emergency Planning Initiative and its Ready New York citizen preparedness campaign. He also responded to incidents including the 1999 outbreak of West Nile Fever, Tropical Storm Floyd, major flooding in Southern Queens (1999), the crashes of SwissAir 111 and American Airlines 587, the 2003 Northeast blackout, as well as the 2001 anthrax incidents and the World Trade Center disaster.
Contact Michael on Twitter @berkmic.
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Latest Posts by Michael Berkowitz
- As we take the time to reflect on our work in 2018, what’s most striking about the impact of 100 Resilient Cities is the leap…
- This piece is part of The Rockefeller Foundation's 2018 United Nations General Assembly series. A few weeks ago, Houston, Texas became the latest city to join 100…
- Last week, I joined Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Chief Resilience Marissa Aho to recognize a special milestone: The release of Resilient Los Angeles,…
- As we look back at 2017 and towards the new year, it is clear that our work to help cities build urban resilience has become…
- In May 2017, The Rockefeller Foundation (RF) and 100 Resilient Cities (100RC) hosted the inaugural CityXChange Summit, an event that brought together city leaders from…
- Two weeks ago, we joined many of our allies, partners, Chief Resilience Officers, and other key actors at the EU’s headquarters in Brussels, during the…
- In late July, we had an opportunity to harness the incredible momentum of an urban resilience movement that began a mere 4 years ago --…
- Four years ago, I joined the Rockefeller Foundation to begin to build a movement that has grown to inspire me beyond what I could have…
- From July 24 - 27, we're convening the largest ever group of urban resilience practitioners. This is an important moment for every city, as leaders from across our community come together to generate solutions to critical urban challenges. These solutions impact all of us — and that's why I'm asking for your input today. Send a digital postcard to the Urban Resilience Summit today and tell us what resilience means for you and your city.
- A brief statement from Michael Berkowitz, President of 100 Resilient Cities, on the events in 100RC Network member Greater Manchester, UK.
- Taxpayers want to see their money invested in measures that keep communities safe. But pushes from the current administration may have the opposite effect. As Congress continues to wrangle…
- We have so much important work to do in the year ahead, so in the spirit of the new year, we asked Chief Resilience Officers to share their Resilience Resolutions with us.
- Today, in Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro and 100RC are announcing the creation of a permanent Office of Sustainability and Resilience within Rio's city government.
- In an Op-Ed in The Hill, 100 Resilient Cities President Michael Berkowitz
- Resilience is entering the bloodstream of cities—and even private sector companies—and flowing to new and exciting places
- Through our work, we at 100 Resilient Cities (100RC) are particularly proud to contribute toward the achievement of SDG 11, which focuses on building sustainable cities and communities.
- Building resilience is not only about improving physical infrastructure – our buildings, roads, and public spaces. It's also about making our communities more cohesive.
- We selected 100 urban pioneers to spread the resilience movement across the world. And today, we're proud to announce the next group of cities ready to take the lead, joining our 63 existing members.
- It is only appropriate that, as the birthplace of many revolutions - in the arts, in politics, philosophy and in urbanism - Paris will also be at the vanguard of the next revolution - the resilience revolution.
- We need holistic thinking that recognizes the connectedness of cities' risks, including but not limited to climate change.
- This week's summit in the Mexican capital offers a chance for global experts to develop the tools they need to make their cities stronger.
- "Chief resilience officers can go beyond addressing climate change and government departments should work holistically."
- 100RC President Michael Berkowitz answers some more common questions about the 100 Resilient Cities Challenge.
- 100RC President Michael Berkowitz answers some common questions about the 100 Resilient Cities Challenge.
- The Chief Resilience Officer is an innovative city government position that is the city's resilience point person. But what does that mean?
- City cybersecurity has never been more important. Having Microsoft as a Platform Partner will be a great boon for our cities.
- 100 Resilient Cities is thrilled to announce our next 35 member cities, eager to help build resilience worldwide.
- What are we looking for in future cities? 100 Resilient Cities President Michael Burkowitz lays out four characteristics that our strongest partners share.
- Today marks the launch of the 2014 100 Resilient Cities Challenge, inviting cities worldwide to apply to be a part of the 100RC network and join the global resilience movement.
- A closer look at two cities in Brazil ready to enhance their urban resilience.
- A look at how the five fastest growing cities are preparing for disaster in the face of enormous population growth.
- The density of cities can concentrate risk, but the inefficiencies of sprawl are far worse and they make response, recovery and rebound harder.
- A report and a great app make the case for resilience.
- After 9/11, have we done enough to improve our preparedness and resilience?
- Exploring the concept of resilience in the world's languages.
- Building urban resilience is an imperative of this century – imperative because it sits at the nexus of two important mega-trends: rapid, global urbanisation, and the increasing shocks and stresses impacting cities.