AMY CHESTER is the Managing Director for Rebuild by Design, an organization formed to run the Hurricane Sandy Design Competition, which resulted in over $1 billion in awards from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development to seven projects to address structural and social vulnerabilities. Now working with 100 Resilient Cities, Rebuild is bringing its approach to cities in the U.S. and around the world.

Amy brings 20 years in municipal policy, community engagement, real estate development and communications to advocate for the urban environment. As Rebuild’s Managing Director, Amy is responsible the organization’s day-to- day operations and management in addition to overseeing its fundraising and strategic direction.

During her tenure in Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration she served as Chief of Staff to the Deputy Mayor for Legislative Affairs and as a Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability. In this role she was responsible for the public engagement strategy of PlaNYC, the Mayor’s sustainability agenda, which included initiatives such as the Million Trees Campaign, congestion pricing, and the Greener, Greater Buildings Plan. Amy’s other experiences in New York City government have included positions at the New York City Council, where she successfully ensured the inclusion of affordable housing in large-scale neighborhood re-zonings, and at the New York City Housing Authority, where she created development plans to increase the utilization of government owned properties across the city.

Outside of government, Amy has also consulted for numerous nonprofit organizations and on many electoral campaigns. At the Freelancers Union, she was responsible for the design and construction of two medical practices. As the lead organizer for Listening to the City, she crafted a democratic process to include community participation in the plans for the World Trade Center site redevelopment.

Amy was raised in Brooklyn where she continues to reside.