As Massachusetts copes with the prolonged impacts of rising temperatures, the Healey administration on Thursday named Katie Schlick as the state’s first heat resilience officer.
Schlick will coordinate state government agencies and work with communities to “prepare for rising temperatures, protect public health and reduce the impacts of extreme heat,” according to Gov. Maura Healey’s office. She will report to state Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer and Dr. Robert Goldstein, commissioner of the state Department of Public Health.
“Amidst another record-breaking year of heat and smoke, Massachusetts is taking bold, coordinated action to protect and uplift our communities,” Schlick said in a statement.
July was the hottest month recorded in U.S. history and extreme heat kills more Americans than the combined effect of hurricanes, floods, tornadoes and other weather hazards, according to Hoffer. Impacts from rising heat include emergency room visits for heat-related illnesses; drought-induced crop losses; threats to water supplies, railways and runways; and stressed forest systems. Hoffer called these impacts “what climate change looks like.”
In 2024, Arizona became the first state to name chief heat officer.
“Extreme heat is becoming more common, more intense and more dangerous in Massachusetts,” Healey said in a statement. “We need to be ready for what that means for our families and communities. This new role will lead our work to prepare for extreme heat and make sure we’re doing everything we can to keep Massachusetts and our residents safe.”
Most recently, Schlick was a federal and external affairs associate and resilience policy lead with the U.S. Climate Alliance. Before that, Schlick was a special assistant to the White House national climate advisor from January 2023 to January 2025.
The salary for the role is $90,000 and is fully funded by the Boston Foundation, according to Healey’s office.