Amy Knowles

Areas of Responsibility: 

• Resilience Strategy
• Environmental and Sustainability Department

Amy Knowles serves as the Chief Resilience Officer and the Director of Environment and Sustainability for the City of Miami Beach.  Ms. Knowles works closely with a holistic resilience leadership team to implement policies and projects to build a resilient Miami Beach.

Miami Beach is a living laboratory for climate change, and Ms. Knowles focuses on integrating climate preparedness planning with nature-based solutions and infrastructure.  In planning for sea level rise, Ms. Knowles recently helped to secure $48 million in resilience funding for projects ranging from dune restoration to infrastructure.  She led the city’s first vulnerability assessment and the business case analysis of the stormwater program- both highlighting the social and economic importance of protecting of Miami Beach.  She recently launched Fight the Flood, a Private Property adaptation program to incentivize private property investments in resilience. Notable Miami Beach work on extreme heat includes the Urban Heat Island Ordinance and the Urban Forestry Master Plan.

Ms. Knowles believes collaboration is critical for resilience and works in a unique partnership with Miami-Dade County, the City of Miami, and the Miami Foundation to implement Resilient305, a shared resilience strategy.  Ms. Knowles serves on the North American Steering Committee for the Global Resilient Cities Network.  She participates in in the work of the Southeast Florida Climate Change Compact and Resiliency Florida.  Ms. Knowles has traveled to the Netherlands, Chile, and across the United States to study and share resilience strategies.

Ms. Knowles‘ career in public service includes environmental protection, administration, and planning.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Policy from Binghamton University and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Miami.