The city announced Wednesday that Tiffany Chu, an entrepreneur who was previously an environmental official in San Francisco will be the chief of staff for Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.
Chu is a former San Francisco Department of the Environment commissioner and was co-founder and CEO of the transportation planning software platform Remix. This is a crucial role in any mayoral administration and will cover both short-term and long-term issues. According to the city, she will be starting her transition into the job in the next month.
Wu stated that Tiffany brings a bold vision to what cities can achieve and how innovative teams can change what’s possible. Her team-building and planning skills have already had an impact on the world.
Wu’s top priorities include transportation, planning and environmental issues. Chu’s selection for this critical role demonstrates how important these issues will be in the administration. Wu, a proud Orange Line commuter has advocated for fare-free transit and pitched a Green New Deal Boston.
Wu announced the announcement as she continues to staff up her administration after a faster than usual two week transition period in November. Although she has already named a majority her Cabinet, a few positions of priority, including the newly created Green New Deal Advisor, remain unfilled.
Chu, a Taiwanese American of the first generation, holds a degree in architecture and planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technologys School of Architecture and Planning. She was a member San Francisco’s Downtown Congestion Pricing Policy Advisory Committee. She was also a Code for America and Y Combinator employee, Zipcar and Continuum member, and was on the Forbes 30 Under 30 List.
Chu said that Mayor Wu and her new energy and inclusiveness represent a great inspiration to me. I feel so honored to be returning to Boston, which I love, and I cannot wait to get started on strengthening Boston’s legacy of being one of the most welcoming cities in the globe.
Mary Lou AkaiFerguson led Wu’s mayoral campaign. Chu succeeded her and served as interim chief-of-staff.
Emma Platoff can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her Twitter @emmaplatoff.