Building the Bridge Between Local and Global Urban Issues
City government and international development are usually seen as completely different animals when it comes to public policy—but the two are actually more intertwined than meets the eye. Just ask Andrew Stober, former CGD media relations and publications associate, who is now Chief of Staff at Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter’s Office of Transportation and Utilities. Since his time at the Center, he has seen more connections between his past and his present than he ever expected.
Andrew, who has always been fascinated with city planning and transportation, found himself as one of CGD’s first staff members due to some unexpected twists and turns. “I moved to DC in late September of 2001 to start a job with the Department of Transportation,” he recalled. “As you can imagine, the DOT had other priorities than bringing me on in the fall of 2001.” However, by playing a pivotal role in the CGD’s launch efforts Andrew quickly turned his temporary job into a full-time position. “While not a development policy geek, I could tell something very special was starting, so when I was offered a job as a program assistant to Nancy [Birdsall] I jumped at the opportunity,” he said.
Andrew’s first interactions with the press came from opportunities presented to him by the Center, fostering skills he still uses in his day-to-day tasks. “My favorite memories are all the growth opportunities that Nancy, Sonal [Shah], and Sheila [Herrling] offered me,” Andrew stated. “For example, Nancy was off to the WTO conference in Cancun and a reporter called asking for her. The reporter asked if I could tell him about what was going on in Cancun and CGD's perspective. I told him I could speak on background and gave him the run down. I hung up the phone and Sonal [Shah] said, ‘that was really good. We should talk about making you our press person.’ (To be fair CGD was probably up to about 12 employees at that point.) From then on, I was fielding press calls and pitching stories.”
As part of CGD’s launch team, Andrew made some lasting contributions that built the Center’s reputation as a fresh and innovative organization. His creative ideas continue to be felt by many to date. “Andrew had already left CGD when I arrived in year three, but he had clearly made a deep impression on the place,” said CGD vice president Lawrence MacDonald. “Everybody talked fondly about him, especially when it came time for his greatest contribution to CGD: our annual State of the Union BINGO game, which he invented. It remains a highpoint of the CGD calendar.”
Andrew left the Center to pursue his MPP at the Harvard Kennedy School in 2004, which brought together his experience in communications and passion for local government. After earning his degree, he worked in the Department of Transportation in Colorado before moving back east in 2008 to work for Mayor Nutter. Today, he serves as Philadelphia’s principal spokesperson for transportation, energy policy, and other infrastructure and waste management issues. Andrew has handled tens of millions of dollars in grants for transportation projects, reestablished the city's energy office, and led key bicycle, pedestrian and transit initiatives to date. He has also continued to inject creativity and a sense of humor when engaging with local citizens, using tools such as the Philly MOTU blog (which boasts “MOTUnes Monday,” a great series of transportation-related music) and a viral mock PSA featuring Mayor Nutter’s initiative on pedestrian safety on April Fools’ Day.
Recently, Andrew has seen much of his local government and international development worlds collide. Earlier this summer, the city of Philadelphia collaborated with the US Environmental Protection Agency, the Brazilian Ministry of Environment, and the city of Rio de Janiero on a Joint Initiative on Urban Sustainability. This project brought Andrew to Brazil to speak in the Rio+20 Summit about Philadelphia’s role in advancing urban sustainability in the public agenda. “The environment of intellectual curiosity and rigor is something I've worked hard to bring to my jobs in state and city government by creating forums for colleagues to workshop ideas and challenge common assumptions,” he stated. “Thanks to my time at CGD, I was able to brief city officials on the international development issues related to our work and connect on a deeper intellectual level with Brazilian counterparts.”
In addition, Andrew was recently awarded a prestigious Eisenhower Fellowship, which identifies and empowers one outstanding mid-career policy leaders around the world annually. On his fellowship he will travel internationally to meet and collaborate with infrastructure officials, private sector executives, and various advocates, undoubtedly furthering his already deep understanding of global affairs and development.
Andrew’s experiences trump the saying, “when one door shuts, another one opens.” He has proven that instead of a door closing, each new opportunity can expand one’s network, bring new skills, and provide innovative ideas that can help make the world a better place.
Andrew currently lives in South Philadelphia with his wife, Karen (who first met in DC while working at CGD and married in 2008), and will be traveling to Australia and Taiwan in November for his fellowship.