• MPP, Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
• BS, Human Biology and Society, University of California, Los Angeles
  

As part of the American Cities Climate Challenge, Colleen is currently supporting four cities to implement policies and programs which contribute to their ambitious climate action goals. This work has included supporting a new green workforce program, establishing an electric vehicle car-sharing program, and helping teams maintain momentum through leadership transitions. 

Recently, Colleen supported a large nonprofit in developing their three-year strategic plan. She also worked with four U.S. cities on their COVID-19 response and recovery plans by helping them access new data sources to improve data analysis and visualizations, and by working with public health experts to develop a vaccination toolkit for the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Prior to joining DA, Colleen worked with U.S. local and state governments on equitable emergency management and response policies. She also partnered with the UN Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) to publish a report informing policymakers on the implementation considerations of a Community-Based Flood Early Warning System in the Himalayas. 

Her role involved conducting key informant and community-based interviews with residents in Nepal, Pakistan, and India; completing a literature review; performing a qualitative coding analysis; and reviewing case studies from around the world to prioritize the most consequential barriers to access in the region. Her team then developed three potential solutions to overcome barriers and create an environment where multi-hazard early warning systems could be effectively developed, implemented, and scaled. This work was successful in bridging one of UNFCCC's identified knowledge gaps on access to early warning information in the Himalayan region.