Kara Runsten Email & Phone Number

Cambridge, Ma, Us

The Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program provides support for cities and towns in Massachusetts to begin the process of planning for climate change resiliency and implementing priority projects. The state awards communities with funding to complete vulnerability assessments and develop action-oriented resiliency plans.

Boston, Ma

- Served as KLA's project manager for the City of Boston's 2019 Climate Action Plan Update. - Worked with cities and towns across Massachusetts on their Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness planning and action processes including Holliston, New Bedford, Northampton, Concord, and Dedham.-Oversaw the development of communications materials for city government clients related to their sustainability efforts and the KLA Community Dashboard.- Managed community engagement and coordinated final plan development for Thrive Indianapolis.

-Managed summer 2017 pilot program of the Climate Ready Boston Leaders program. Supported every aspect of the program, including helping at trainings, coordinating event proposals, distributing stipends, attending leader events, and collecting and analyzing feedback.-Developed recommendations for moving the Climate Ready Boston Leaders program beyond the pilot stage and began implementing recommendations. -Created and published a public-facing, web-based tool to track the progress of the initiatives outlined in the Climate Ready Boston report.-Coordinated public outreach for the Climate Ready South Boston neighborhood-level resilience project.

Cambridge, Ma

-Researched the topic of managed coastal retreat as an option for climate change adaptation and helped coordinate a group of thought leaders attempting to spark conversation about this issue.-Designed and developed content for a website supporting this effort.

Washington, D.C.

-Managed finances for government contracts worth over $1.1 million.-Coordinated day-to-day management of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Planning Body, established through the National Ocean Policy.-Authored four official government multi-day meeting summaries.-Planned and executed all aspects of multiple webinars with approximately 100 participants each.-Provided research, writing, and support for the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative (JOCI). -Aided in planning JOCI-hosted regional ocean leadership roundtables in New York, Washington, DC, and Alaska.

Menlo Park, Ca

-Worked with a small staff managing the personal charitable contributions of the Hewlett family. -Analyzed interest overlap in the Hewlett family’s personal grant-making initiatives and suggested new areas for collaborative giving.-Placed the foundation in the context of the larger philanthropic sector by evaluating the average budget size of grantees overall and in various program areas.-Conducted nonprofit field scopes in potential new program regions.-Suggested future direction for the foundation's international giving, especially with respect to the economic development program.-Reviewed grant reports.-Helped with general administrative tasks.-Provided support for the Annual Family Council Meeting.

Silver Spring, Md

-Developed and helped present a research prioritization mechanism to employ when deciding where the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council should focus grant dollars.-Analyzed deficiencies in Magnuson-Stevens Act implementation and compiled findings into a report to prepare for a national symposium.- Adapted sections of Magnuson-Stevens Act legislation regarding Limited Access Privilege Programs into workable implementation guidelines.

Master’S Degree, City/Urban, Community And Regional Planning

Activities and Societies: Malaysia Sustainable Cities Practicum, 2017

Bachelor'S Degree, Public Policy

Bachelor Of Arts (Ba), Public Policy

Activities and Societies: Henry's Place, Leland Quarterly, SUSS sustainability blog, Stanford in Washington Peer AdvisorDuring my four.