ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION SPOLIGHT: Designing Resilience --Violet Wulf-Saena’s Early Advocacy for East Palo Alto

In 2018, before founding Climate Resilient Communities, Violet Wulf-Saena stood on the frontlines of a groundbreaking initiative that would help set the stage for CRC’s future approach: the Resilient by Design Bay Area Challenge. The project, supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, brought together designers, architects, scientists, and—critically—community leaders to envision climate solutions tailored to the Bay Area’s most vulnerable communities.

In a culminating conversation hosted by the Rockefeller Foundation, Violet joined Dr. Rajiv Shah (President, Rockefeller Foundation) and Amanda Brown-Stevens (Managing Director, Resilient by Design) to reflect on the project’s lessons, challenges, and impact—especially in East Palo Alto.

Watch the full conversation here:🎥 Raj Shah in Conversation with Violet Saena and Amanda Brown-Stevens

Centering Community in Climate Design

At the time, Violet served as Resilient Communities Program Manager at Acterra. In her remarks, she emphasized a powerful truth: top-down designs alone cannot protect communities from climate change. To be truly resilient, climate solutions must be shaped by the people who live closest to the risks—and the strengths—of place.

In East Palo Alto, a historically underserved city threatened by rising sea levels, that meant going door to door, listening deeply, and ensuring residents weren’t simply consulted—but empowered. Violet’s leadership helped guide the design team to consider not only physical infrastructure, but also social cohesion, economic equity, and cultural context.

A Model That Still Guides Us

The Resilient by Design Challenge marked a turning point. It showed what’s possible when communities, designers, and funders collaborate with humility and purpose. It also revealed gaps in the way traditional systems approach adaptation—gaps CRC was founded to fill.

Violet’s experience during the Challenge laid the foundation for the creation of Climate Resilient Communities just two years later. Today, CRC builds on that model by training resident leaders, supporting Climate Change Community Teams (CCCTs), and fostering co-designed climate strategies rooted in trust and equity.

From Vision to Action

CRC’s work in cities like East Palo Alto, North Fair Oaks, and Belle Haven continues to embody the principles Violet helped champion during Resilient by Design: inclusive engagement, cultural resonance, and community-led innovation.

This legacy matters more than ever. As the Bay Area faces growing climate threats—from flood risk to heatwaves—the call to design with, not for, our communities grows louder.

At CRC, we’re proud to carry this vision forward—one rooted in lived experience, resilience, and shared joy.