Speaker Profile–Art Agnos

If part of re-imagining is investigating precedents, then Art Agnos is perhaps the perfect person to present at TEDxEQChCh. Agnos was Mayor of San Francisco during the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989 and, ever since the February earthquake, has been generous in reaching out to Christchurch offer support, perspective, and lessons learned from San Francisco’s recovery

During his career in public office Agnos was identified as a strong advocate for minorities, the homeless, gays and lesbians, health care, affordable housing, the environment and for the special needs of people with AIDS. As a result of his direction of he city’s response to the 1989 event, he has been invited to provide seminars on disaster response, governance and community participation in various countries around the world including South Africa, Angola, Sierra Leone, Palestine, Turkey, Russia, Korea and China.

Some unique highlights in a very fulfilling life include surviving being shot while volunteering in a public housing project in what came to be known as the Zebra killings, hosting Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev during his first visit to the US after the end of the Cold War, and befriending Mother Theresa who came to his house one Sunday evening to tell the mayor what she needed for her homeless facilities.

When asked about his motivations for attending TEDxEQChCh, Agno offered the following;

In October of 1989, our city of San Francisco and the entire bay area experienced the worst earthquakes in its modern history. The immediate support and generous assistance from our fellow Americans, as well as from countries around the world, was extraordinary and unforgettable.

That’s why I welcomed the opportunity to become a volunteer with TEDxEQChCh and travel to New Zealand to share my experience and lessons learned as mayor of my city to the people of Christchurch. It is a special privilege for me and the people of San Francisco.

What I learned as the mayor is that the initial impact of an earthquake was only the beginning of the challenge our community faced to restore and improve the damaged city we all love… and in the process create a better future for all of us.

I hope that the experience of San Francisco can benefit, as well as offer encouragement, to the people of Christchurch as they face the challenge of a major disaster and begin the work to make their city a safer, stronger, and even more beautiful place than it was before.

The organisers are truly ecstatic that Agnos has agreed to present at TEDxEQChCh and look forward to his input.