Bay Area Climate Adaptation Network (BayCAN) Announces New Team to Manage Network
Farallon Strategies and Climate Resilient Communities Partnership
(March 2, 2022) The Bay Area Climate Adaptation Network (BayCAN, www.baycanadapt.org) has selected a new team to manage the network. BayCAN is a collaborative network of local government staff and partnering organizations working to help the Bay Area respond effectively and equitably to the impacts of climate change on human health, infrastructure and natural systems.
Farallon Strategies (www.farallonstrategies.com) and Climate Resilient Communities (www.climatercommunities.org) will continue BayCAN’s groundbreaking work in the Bay Area. They will succeed the team of Director Bruce Riordan and Project Manager Yeshe Salz, who have guided BayCAN’s development since its launch in 2018.
“We are thrilled to bring the Farallon and Climate Resilient Communities team on board to continue BayCAN’s good work and expand our programs as the adaptation enterprise advances,” said David Behar, chair of BayCAN’s Steering Committee and the Climate Program Director at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. “They understand the value of collaboration, combine strong strategic thinking with skillful on-the-ground implementation, and have an excellent grasp of the content of this work. We believe they are an excellent team, ready to take BayCAN to new roles and to the next level.”
The Farallon Strategies team will be led by Michael McCormick and Carolyn Yvellez, both of whom have a long history supporting regional collaboration on climate adaptation and resilience. The team has worked with BayCAN from the inception of the network and in support of the broader Alliance of Regional Collaboratives for Climate Adaptation throughout its history of work across California. Climate Resilient Communities, led by Violet Wulf-Saena, will serve as an Equity Partner, advising on network strategy and co-managing BayCAN’s Equity Program. Since 2016 Climate Resilient Communities has been on the ground learning the specific needs of residents in diverse, under-resourced communities in the Bay Area. By building stronger alliances between residents, schools, local government programs and community-based organizations, their work augments Farallon Strategies expertise in local/regional climate policy, collaborative governance and engagement, and organizational leadership.
“Climate Resilient Communities is excited about the opportunity to partner with BayCAN and Farallon Strategies to actively work towards more equitable and resilient communities across the Bay Area,” said Violet Wulf Saena.
BayCAN’s four years of development has featured quarterly, all-region meetings and a series of targeted programs to connect Bay Area leaders to stakeholders across jurisdictions. BayCAN’s collaborative work has initiated the development of cross-agency and cross-jurisdictional partnerships and a community of practice amongst members who share best practices and coordinate regional approaches to equitable climate adaptation throughout the Bay Area. BayCAN projects include local government consultations, an active Equity Working Group and Equity Program, a county government peer-to-peer group, a pilot climate services project focused on extreme heat and storm vulnerabilities, and regular webinars exploring key topics of interest to members. BayCAN currently has 43 local government, non-profit and private sector members, who pay sliding scale dues to support the collaborative, including community-based organization members focused on equity, who are exempted from dues payments consistent with best practices in the field.
“The Farallon Strategies and Climate Resilient Communities team is deeply invested in the success of BayCAN and its ongoing evolution to support more equity focused climate adaptation and community resilience outcomes.” said Michael McCormick with Farallon Strategies. “Our team is honored to have been chosen to staff BayCAN and are excited to work with the network and potential partners towards a more resilient Bay Area.”
