Daniel A. Zarrilli

BIOGRAPHY:

Daniel Zarrilli is the first-ever Chief Climate & Sustainability Officer at Columbia University where he leads the University’s efforts to achieve its climate commitments and related sustainability goals. This includes overseeing the Plan 2030 sustainability strategy, serving as an expert advisor to University climate-related initiatives, managing critical partnerships, and supporting the creation of the Columbia Climate School.

Before Columbia, Daniel served for eight years as New York City's Chief Resilience Officer and Chief Climate Policy Advisor, appointed first by Mayor Michael Bloomberg after Hurricane Sandy and later elevated by Mayor Bill de Blasio. In those roles, he built NYC into the global benchmark for urban climate leadership. He launched the city's $20 billion climate adaptation program - the largest urban resilience investment in U.S. history - securing $531 million in federal resilience grants and standing up the infrastructure, programs, and partnerships that would protect the city for decades. In 2019, he led the development of OneNYC 2050, New York City's comprehensive long-term strategic plan, creating an integrated vision for how America's most complex city would invest in its future across climate, infrastructure, equity, mobility, and democracy. Along the way, he drove the divestment of $4 billion from fossil fuels across three NYC pension boards, enacted Local Law 97, the most aggressive building decarbonization standard in the nation, and negotiated landmark legislation embedding environmental justice into municipal decision-making.

A sought-after voice on climate, infrastructure, and cities, Daniel has spoken at the Aspen Ideas Festival, the Nobel Peace Prize Forum, the Council on Foreign Relations, and Chatham House, and represented New York City at multiple COPs, C40 World Mayors Summits, and OECD Champion Mayors for Inclusive Growth convenings. He was a contributing author to the Fifth National Climate Assessment and a member of FEMA’s National Advisory Council, and has been featured in Rolling Stone, The Guardian, PBS, and the New York Times.  He currently serves on the NYC Water Board and the NYISO Environmental Advisory Council.

Earlier in his career, Daniel held senior roles at the NYC Economic Development Corporation, where he managed a nine-figure portfolio of maritime and industrial public infrastructure assets, and at Bechtel Infrastructure Corporation. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in New York, a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers, and holds an M.S. in Civil & Environmental Engineering from MIT and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Lehigh University.