Laura Patiño, a native Colombian and resident of Houston's Greater East End, has a background in environmental engineering with a focus on integrated bioresources and water resources management. In the environmental engineering field, Laura has worked in private, academic, and government sectors advancing environmental justice and remediation, climate mitigation and adaptation, and disaster recovery research, projects and programs. Laura joined the Mayor’s Office in January of 2018 and served as Chief of Staff for the Chief Recovery and Chief Resilience Officers. In this role, Laura focused on Harvey Recovery and Resilient Houston, the City’s resilience strategy, development and implementation, which includes addressing complex challenges related to water, climate, and infrastructure and the build environment. Laura is currently the Deputy Chief Resilience and Sustainability Officer working on the implementation of both Resilient Houston and the Climate Action Plan, moving forward city-wide efforts to help Houston prepare for, withstand, and bounce back from the “shocks” – catastrophic events like hurricanes, floods, winter storms, pandemics and cyberattacks – and “stresses” – slow-moving disasters like aging infrastructure, homelessness, and economic inequality, while emphasizing emissions reduction across various sectors as part of the energy transition. Laura earned her Master’s Degree from McGill University in Montreal and Bachelor’s Degree from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. She is a GreenBiz 30 under 30 honoree, a member of the Junior League of Houston, the City's representative in the Harris County Community Flood Resilience Task Force, and a contributing author to the Fifth National Climate Assessment.