Dr. Amanda Martin has been named as the new state chief resilience officer for the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency, or NCORR.
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Previously the office’s deputy chief, Martin now leads the state’s efforts to improve resilience to natural disasters and climate change, NCORR announced Wednesday.
The program supports collaboration among government agencies, nonprofit organizations, the private sector and academia, with a goal of developing solutions that strengthen community resilience while protecting the environment.
“North Carolina is committed to rebuilding stronger than before and making sure our state is prepared for future storms,” said Gov. Roy Cooper in a statement. “I am grateful to Dr. Amanda Martin for taking on the role of chief resilience officer and helping us build back better.”
Officials credited Martin with having helped advance the state’s resiliency efforts through policy advising, stakeholder engagement and technical assistance while in her previous role as deputy chief resilience officer.
“Dr. Amanda Martin has made a tremendous impact on North Carolina throughout her service to our state,” Public Safety Secretary Erik A. Hooks said. “I am extremely pleased she has agreed to step into this important leadership role as we continue to build and maintain our resiliency in North Carolina.”
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“Strong partnerships between local, state and federal organizations is a fundamental part of building community resiliency,” said N.C. Emergency Management Director Michael A. Sprayberry, who also serves as director of NCORR. “Dr. Martin has an exceptional ability to foster collaboration among groups with very diverse interests. Those skills are going to be a big asset as she leads the state’s resiliency initiative.”
Martin received a doctorate in city and regional planning from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, where her dissertation examined post-disaster home buyouts in North Carolina from the perspectives of resilience, recovery and racial justice. She received a master’s in city planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s from Harvard University.
Cooper established NCORR after Hurricane Florence hit September 2018 to streamline disaster recovery programs statewide and help communities rebuild smarter and stronger. In addition to the Resiliency Program, the office administers programs that support homeowner recovery, affordable housing, mitigation, strategic buyout, local government grants and loans, and pandemic-related rent and utility assistance.
The state has invested more than $3.6 billion in state and federal funding to support recovery from hurricanes Matthew, Florence, Dorian and Isaias. Learn more about NCORR’s programs at https://www.rebuild.nc.gov/.
