Directors’ Welcome A transformative year to scale up impact There is no better time than now to talk about transitions. As we face what it means to recover from a lingering global shock, we are individually and collectively redefining “normal.” This transition period is not only a time of profound shock, grief and change, but also one of relief and opportunity. Many of us are making our way back to work and back to school and adapting our lives in ways that may have been unthinkable just a couple of years ago. For the Knowledge Exchange for Resilience at ASU, this period coincides with our planned transition from Phase I to Phase II. In Phase I, we began piloting knowledge mechanisms, designing activities, and building relationships to implement our work in Maricopa County. In Phase II, we are now scaling up our efforts and expanding our impact on sustained, equitable community resilience. Our organizational transition offers an opportunity for real transformation. This requires r eflection, purpose and a thorough, systematic remaking of the character of our work. This year we are transforming KER in the following ways. •
Evolving our mission and vision for the future to expand and deepen the impact of the work we built and piloted with many of you, as our partners and associates, around the intersection of our FUSE themes. FUSE refers to how we connect heat resilience to secure Food, energy and water; Urban heat resilience and health; Shelter, home and the built environment; and the Economy and a resilient workforce - keeping in mind the need for equitable solutions across all of these themes. In this report, you’ll see this thematic framework solidified as our vision for building community resilience through our work. Read about our vision of resilience for Maricopa County on page 5.
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Setting in place a robust structure for how to implement our work in innovative ways, taking into account what we have shared and discovered along the way. This means that some of our experiments are ending, some of our activities will become signature, and some new gaps will be filled. It also means that our team and their roles have been clarified and empowered. In this year’s report, you’ll see how we have elevated the leadership of our Associate Directors and how that fits with a new Blueprint of Action, which will help us to scale up our impact. Read about our Blueprint of Action and Associate Directors on page 7.
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A N N UA L R E P O R T 2021
