David Hondula is the Director of Heat Response and Mitigation for the City of Phoenix, Arizona. In that role, he helps coordinate and implement programs to protect people from dangerous summer heat and cool the city. Hondula joined the City in October 2021 following Phoenix City Council’s vote to create the country’s first publicly-funded local government office focused on heat. He was recognized as one of the Top 100 Influencers in Local Government in the United States in 2022. Hondula has been a faculty member at Arizona State University’s School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning since 2016, and has co-authored more than 90 peer-reviewed research articles, book chapters, and technical reports related to extreme heat, public health, and urban climatology. He earned a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences from the University of Virginia in 2013.
David Hondula, Ph.D.
Director of Heat Response and Mitigation for the City of Phoenix, Arizona