Kara Odegard

Experience

• 

  Various Companies

  Jan 1995 - Dec 2014

  Early Career Experience

  Held various roles including manager, program manager, project manager, customer service specialist and broker across multiple industries including aerospace, hospitality, web design, and real estate.

• 

  Pearl Consulting

  Oct 2015 - Mar 2020

  Senior Associate

  Using a collective impact framework, facilitated cross-sector partnerships between global corporate clients and local community-based organizations in Southeast Asia. Developed and conducted landscape assessments according to client criteria incorporating the nuances of regional political and social realities. Pearl Consulting is a purpose-driven boutique consultancy focused on delivering mutual benefit for corporate, nonprofit and government partners through strategic deployment of social impact initiatives. Show less

• 

  Measure Meant

  Jul 2017 - now

  Founder & CEO

  Cultivate collaborations, partnerships, and meaningful community engagement to help communities thrive. Provide consulting expertise in the areas of climate vulnerability and resiliency planning, ESG structures and reporting, and sustainability strategy (e.g. governance, corporate policies, partnerships). As CEO, mentor and train team members and oversee the development of the organization.

• 

  Spokane Climate Project

  May 2018 - Oct 2022

  Program Manager & Lead Author

  Coordinated diverse teams of community contributors (e.g. natural resource managers, climate activists, sustainability practitioners, conservationists, academics, environmental scientists) and served as liaison between CIRC project team and climate scientists.The Spokane Climate Project is a multi-agency collaboration between the community of Spokane and the PNW Climate Impacts Research Consortium (CIRC - a NOAA climate programs project); goal was to teach communities how to use climate data tools and assess vulnerability and risk. Show less

• 

  City of Spokane

  Mar 2019 - Dec 2022

  Head of Sustainability and Climate Policy (Manager of Sustainability Initiatives)

  Hired by Spokane City Council to update the city’s 2009 Sustainability Action Plan (SAP) and make local, state, and federal policy recommendations to achieve city and state climate goals. Developed a collaborative and participatory leadership process to enroll a team of 100+ community experts and contributors. Designed, co-wrote, and compiled recommendations, gathered over 2 ½ years, into an 80-page comprehensive and holistic sustainability plan that included not only sustainability and climate initiatives, but also addressed health and well-being, economic prosperity, and ecological preservation. Show less

• 

  Gonzaga University

  Aug 2023 - now

  Instructor, Certificate in Climate Action Planning

  Co-created and teach the curriculum of this certificate program, in partnership with the Gonzaga Climate Institute and the Center for Lifelong Learning. This program is the first of its kind in the US and was designed to help students develop the skills necessary for building climate action and resiliency at both community and organizational levels.