Ms. Marissa Aho

Marissa Aho, AICP has served as the first Director of the Executive Climate Office for King County, WA since July 2023. She leads a growing team that is charged with advancing and accelerating climate action to make a more sustainable, equitable and resilient King County. She previously served as Policy Director/Chief Resilience Officer for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. She began her public service career as the first Chief Resilience Officer for the city of Los Angeles as part of the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities program and then served as the first Chief Resilience Officer for the city of Houston after Hurricane Harvey. Aho led the development and implementation of the cities’ resilience strategies (Resilient Los Angeles and Resilient Houston) that are focused on preparing for catastrophic events and addressing chronic stressors. Prior to public service, she was a private urban planning and land use consultant in Southern California. She served as an editor of the 5th National Climate Assessment and is an Advisor to the Dr. Lucy Jones Center for Science and Society. She also serves on FEMA’s National Advisory Council, with a term beginning in January 2025. Aho holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Communications, Legal Institutions, Economics and Government (CLEG) from American University and a Master of Planning degree from the University of Southern California.