As Chief Climate & Sustainability Officer, Zarrilli will lead and coordinate the University’s wide-ranging efforts to achieve its climate commitments and related sustainability goals. This will include overseeing the implementation and delivery of Columbia’s Plan 2030 sustainability strategy, serving as an expert advisor to multiple University climate-related policy development initiatives, and developing productive relationships with interested stakeholders across the University community. He will chair a new Steering Committee for Climate Action to align climate leadership across Columbia's schools, departments, and campuses, and will collaborate with external partners to support Columbia’s actions. Zarrilli will also serve as a critical advisor to President Shafik and senior leadership on climate action and sustainability matters and will hold an appointment in the Climate School. Columbia's Office of Sustainability, expertly led by Jessica Prata, will become part of Zarrilli's portfolio. Prata will continue her extraordinary work on the Sustainability team in this new configuration. Zarrilli will report directly to Chief Operating Officer Cas Holloway.
“The world has the knowledge and tools necessary to solve our climate crisis, thanks in large part to the research done over decades at Columbia University,” said Zarrilli. “The path forward includes phasing out fossil fuels and the other unsustainable practices that are sending our planet and humanity into uncharted territory. Columbia is now marshaling resources and expertise from every corner of this great University to deliver climate solutions, from our research and educational programs to our operations and policies as a New York City institution. I look forward to working with the entire University community to embed climate action and sustainability into everything we do.”
Daniel Zarrilli joined Columbia University in 2021 from the NYC Mayor’s Office, where he served most recently in the role of Chief Climate Policy Advisor. With senior climate and resilience appointments under Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Mayor Bill de Blasio, Zarrilli positioned New York City as the global leader in the fight against climate change. Notable successes include launching a comprehensive $20 billion climate adaptation program, enacting Local Law 97 to decarbonize the city’s most polluting buildings, divesting the City’s pension funds from fossil fuel reserve owners and investing billions into climate solutions, securing new clean energy transmission to serve the five boroughs, and launching a ground-breaking program to embed environmental justice into the City’s decision-making. He recently served as an author on the Fifth National Climate Assessment, is a member of the New York Independent System Operator’s Environmental Advisory Council, and serves as a Mayoral appointee on the NYC Water Board. He holds an MS in Civil & Environmental Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a BS in Civil Engineering from Lehigh University and brings over 25 years of experience in climate and resilience policy, sustainability, and infrastructure management to this role.
Columbia University has made a significant commitment to climate action and sustainability, demonstrated through many University actions. These include the establishment of the world’s first Climate School; the establishment of Columbia’s Office of Sustainability; Columbia’s Plan 2030 sustainability strategy; the plan to build a new biomedical research building that will be one of the first net zero buildings of its kind in New York City; and the University’s commitment to sustainable investment and its position of non-investment in publicly traded oil and gas companies.