Mayor Rick Blangiardi has appointed Ben Sullivan to Executive Director and Chief Resilience Officer for the Mayor’s Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency. Ben stepped into the role on Sept. 3, 2024, and fills the vacancy left by Matthew Gonser, the former Executive Director. After more than two years long distance following a tremendous career opportunity that led to Matt’s wife’s relocation to Los Angeles, Matt has joined his wife in LA so they can be a family together again in one place. Mahalo, Matt, and congratulations, Ben!
From Matt: “It has been an immense honor and privilege to be part of the Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency from the early days and for the past seven years, and I thank Mayor Blangiardi for the opportunity to serve as the Executive Director and Chief Resilience Officer since 2021. From being an external City partner while previously at the University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program to more directly advancing community climate resilience work with the City after we the voters created the Resilience Office in 2016, public service has been a gift of a lifetime. I am continuing public service with the County of Los Angeles Chief Sustainability Office and depart with gratitude for the collaborations with so many dedicated individuals.”
From Ben: “There are many challenges ahead for O‘ahu as we build our resilience to climate impacts and realize a cleaner and more affordable energy future for our residents. I am honored to work for Mayor Blangiardi in this new capacity and with the talented team he has assembled. Even more so, I am humbled to work with the dedicated staff across the City and County, and the people of O‘ahu as we all create a more resilient future together.”
Ben most recently served as the Resilience Office’s Deputy Director, a position he has held since June of last year. Before that, Ben served as the office’s Energy Program Manager for two years. Prior to joining the City in 2021, he served as the Kaua‘i Energy and Sustainability Coordinator for a decade. Ben studied environmental design at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
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