SAN FRANCISCO — Emily Wasley, corporate climate resilience practice leader at WSP USA, a leading engineering and professional services consultancy, was named board president of the American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP).
The nonprofit organization, which comprises of over 1,400 professionals across 49 states and 590 organizations, supports and connects professionals to better prepare for climate change while helping members strengthen their professional network, exchange best practices and practical advice, and accelerate a more equitable and effective climate adaptation practice.
“It is such an honor to be voted in as ASAP’s President,” said Wasley, a leader in WSP’s new Climate, Resilience & Sustainability business line, who also serves as a WSP Future Ready™ advisor. “In my new role I hope to continue supporting our members and leaders working in the adaptation field and embedding active hope and personal resilience throughout the organization. I love being involved in an organization that is incredibly inclusive and dedicated to empowering all adaptation professionals. We have planners working to make communities safer, policymakers on both sides of the aisle, young professionals just starting out in a climate-related field, and researchers testing and answering climate questions.”
As board president, Wasley will be responsible for ensuring ASAP’s activities align with the organization's mission and vision; empowering member-led interest groups and member leadership; representing ASAP and being an active and recognized leader in its network; serving as the primary liaison between the board and ASAP’s staff; and leveraging her position as a leader in corporate climate resilience to involve more businesses in the society’s research agendas, partnerships and solutions.
Wasley became a member of ASAP in 2012 and has participated in a variety of the member-led working groups, one of which she co-founded – the Personal Resilience Working Group – in 2019, after facing considerable concerns commonly shared by other adaptation professionals over the state of the world’s climate.
“My adaptation career has progressed so much through my active engagement in ASAP, and I have gained an incredibly strong and supportive network of colleagues, partners and friends through the organization,” Wasley said. “I know I can always count on an ASAP member to answer any question about adaptation with which I might be struggling. For example, we are exploring methodologies to quantitatively assess adaptive capacity with several companies we’re supporting. I reached out to several ASAP members and leaders in this space to ask what methodologies already exist so we weren’t recreating the wheel. Knowing I can tap into the ASAP network that we have established to ask these questions and explore how we can address pressing adaptation questions we’re facing together helps to further advance the adaptation field.”
In addition to her work with ASAP, Wasley launched a webinar series last year with Cimpatico TV—Women in Resilience—to provide a platform for women in the adaptation and resilience space to gather, be recognized and support each other. She also sits on the Steering Committee of Women in Climate Tech (WiCT), a new member-led organization launched in early January to empower and amplify the voices of women working in the industry and to grow the share of females working on this issue. Wasley hopes to foster collaboration between ASAP and WiCT through the Women in Resilience webinar series and other means to advance women in the field.
“What’s not to love about having Emily Wasley as ASAP board president?” said Beth Gibbons, ASAP Executive Director. “She is a global leader in the adaptation and resilience field; she has demonstrable experience working on national security, corporate climate risk, federal climate coordination and personal resilience; and she is a dedicated ASAP member. I expect Emily will push ASAP to become a more prominent leader in new and emerging climate adaptation conversations — be they in federal government or corporate board rooms. She will expect and call upon members to step-up to lead member groups and initiatives, and she herself will continue to be a model for what it means to act with integrity, vigor and generosity. I’m thrilled to work with Emily over the coming years and I look forward to the progress we will forge together.”
Wasley holds a bachelor’s degree in public policy and environmental studies from Hamilton College and a master’s degree in environmental and natural resources policy from The George Washington University. She is a fellow to the American Security Project and is a Blue Endeavors Ambassador.
About WSP USA
WSP USA is the U.S. operating company of WSP, one of the world's leading engineering and professional services firms. Dedicated to serving local communities, we are engineers, planners, technical experts, strategic advisors and construction management professionals. WSP USA designs lasting solutions in the buildings, transportation, energy, water and environment markets. With more than 10,000 employees in 170 offices across the U.S., we partner with our clients to help communities prosper. wsp.com
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