Karen Laughlin Email & Phone Number

Portland, Or, Us

Launched CURe, a non-profit organization to convince drug companies to consistently provide compassionate use of experimental treatments to terminally ill patients when no other options remain. Currently seed fundraising, CURe will bring together the inside and outside thinkers to build practical solutions — policy, business model, research — to lower barriers companies face.https://www.compassionateusereform.org

Los Altos, California, Us

San Francisco, California, Us

Jointly led CPI’s U.S. Program to analyze and recommend policies that will lower costs of transitioning to a low-carbon economy ■ Transitioned program strategy to leverage team’s competitive advantage (finance policy analysis) and targeted influential governments and institutional investors■ Engaged EPA, DOE, FERC on utility business models under GHG regulation of power plants ■ Analyzed and recommended measures to lower the costs of California cap and trade implementation■ Led engagement and analysis on federal climate regulation■ Improved team efficiency and dynamics by clarifying roles and hiring new analysts ■ Staffing allocation, reviews, mentorship, and hiring

Led and managed a networking-turned-social-media campaign to gain compassionate access to a melanoma treatment for Nick Auden, father of three and a family friend. Coordinated strategy, messaging, and implementation across a country-wide volunteer team with creative, marketing, communications, health care, pharmaceutical, and policy functions.■ Our campaign achieved rapid executive-level attention from 2 major pharma companies via low-profile networking effort■ 500k petitions signed via social media campaign (launched when no other recourse remained)■ SLD became household-name in Australia and gained U.S. national media attention ■ Follow-up: founding board member of new foundation CURe to pursue reform of compassionate use access

Washington, Dc, Us

Office of Transportation and Air Quality, Transportation & Climate DivisionINTERNATIONAL POLICY & NEGOTIATIONS:Regularly represented EPA and U.S. on transportation, climate, and environment in international negotiations. Collaborated across U.S. agencies to bridge priority and tactical differences on U.S. negotiating positions, protecting EPA interests.■ Frequent international public speaking engagements (panels, conferences, etc.)■ EPA Staff Lead for international negotiations on climate policy in aviation sector■ Represented U.S. biofuels policy in multilateral and bilateral fora under significant domestic and int’l pressure ■ U.S. transport team lead at 2009-11 UN Commission on Sustainable Development. Achieved U.S. objectives for transport text DOMESTIC BIOFUELS REGULATION: RENEWABLE FUEL STANDARD ■ Led engagement with Brazil, EU, Malaysia, Indonesia on treatment of foreign biofuels by RFS■ Staff lead on domestic land use component of GHG lifecycle analysis for RFS

Washington, Dc, Us

■ Transformed Office of Transportation & Air Quality international portfolio into a targeted engagement strategy, prioritized and rationalized under constrained resources and prior commitments■ Regularly advised civil and political leadership■ Represented EPA to U.S. agencies, foreign governments, and stakeholders■ Developed and led implementation of Office China-engagement strategy targeting common U.S.-China regulatory priorities (heavy duty vehicle fuel economy standards; vehicle emissions testing). Strategy remains under implementation in 2014.

Washington, Dc, Us

Promoted September 2007OFFICE OF GLOBAL ANALYSIS. 2007-2008. ■ Advised political and civil leadership on policy and technical aspects of biofuels. ■ Convinced USDA political leadership to engage more actively internationally on biofuels sustainability.OFFICE OF CAPACITY BUILDING & DEVELOPMENT. 2006-2007. ■ Managed technical capacity building programs on biotechnology and biofuels for developing countries focused. ■ Managed programs to provide Egypt technical support on regulation of genetically modified crops (implemented in Egypt, U.S., EU, Canada). ■ Ran first USDA Global Conference on Agricultural Biofuels for scientists and policymakers from 40 countries.

Developed joint proposal between USDA and UN Food and Agricultural Organization to assess advanced bioenergy potential in developing countries.

Ithaca, Ny, Us

DISSERTATION: Transgenic virus resistance, plant fitness, and interspecific virus competition in wild and cultivated squash (Cucurbita pepo)■ Developed, wrote grants to fund, managed, and published a five-year, $33K policy-oriented research program■ Managed simultaneous, multi-locational field projects, research assistants, and cross-university collaboration

Maynard, Ma, Us

Prepared environmental impact reports and environmental permit applications for power generation plants.

Ph.D., Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

A.B., Environmental Science & Policy

Education record