EP #140 - 10.2.2020 - What would a just COVID-19 Recovery look like?

Today we will discuss what it would mean to have a “just recovery” from COVID-19, with a close up look at Philadelphia. 

Saleem Chapman serves as Philadelphia's first Chief Resilience Officer and the Deputy Director for the Philadelphia Office of Sustainability. In these roles, Saleem oversees the creation and implementation of climate preparedness and resilience strategies. He is also responsible for implementing and reporting on Greenworks: A Vision for a Sustainable Philadelphia and applying an equity lens to sustainability. Before joining the City of Philadelphia, Saleem amassed a vast array of experience in the sustainability field, including professional work in urban policy analysis, environmental justice, and sustainable economic development.

David Koppisch is the Director of Strategy for the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice. David was a co-founder of POWER: An Interfaith Movement where, for eleven years, he helped the organization achieve significant policy wins including a fair formula for the equitable distribution of public school funding in Pennsylvania, fair wages and treatment for workers on city subcontracts, and criminal justice reforms to reduce Philadelphia’s jail population. David’s work with the Women’s Community Revitalization Project and a coalition of housing activists, practitioners, and academics helped create the Philadelphia Housing Trust Fund which has generated more than $150M in new revenue to expand access to affordable housing since 2005. David’s earlier career included work with several other grassroots and community development organizations in Philadelphia. David holds a Master of Social Work degree from Temple University and is a lecturer in the School of Social Policy and Practice at the University of Pennsylvania.