Karen Bane, QTT

Profile

Karen Bane has 20 years of experience in environmental project management. Having served in environmental litigation, regulatory compliance consulting, and government funding roles, she appreciates the wisdom gained from fostering participation and collaboration with diverse stakeholders. Karen has a passion for strategically targeting applied research to areas of uncertainty for regulators, funders, and resource managers and facilitating the adoption and use of new information to support and advance policy and practice.

Employment History

• Sole Proprietor – Karen Bane
• Facilitator – The Kolbe Company
• Associate – Center for Strategic Facilitation
• Deputy Program Manager; Project Manager – California Coastal Conservancy
• Project Manager – Tetra Tech
• Research Associate – Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund

Competency Areas

Design and Facilitate Process for Group Work

Design and facilitate meetings, workshops, and conferences to help groups access and make sense of information, reach consensus, and plan and implement priority work.  Preliminary work may include interviewing stakeholders to help project leads discern the key issues to be addressed.

Strategic Planning

Guide groups through a strategic planning process in a few days yielding a plan co-created by the participants with clear roles and responsibilities ready to commence implementation the very next day.  No waiting for months for a document that will sit on a shelf.

Focused Implementation

Equip groups to deliver with collaboratively built action plans, articulating clear commitments, calendared milestones, and designated teams.  Maintain momentum and commitment by facilitating team status sessions.

Program Leadership

Coordinate mission focused programs with multiple chartered teams and tiered levels of decision making and accountability.  Ensure interdependent work streams remain coordinated and aligned with strategic directions and annual commitments. 

Project Management

Manage multi-year projects through feasibility, engineering, permitting, and construction phases. Coordinate project financing, consultant hiring, and implementation. Supervise project teams to stay on schedule and budget.

Education

• Master’s Degree, Biophysics – University of California, Berkeley
• Bachelor’s Degree, Physics – Pennsylvania State University

Professional Associations

• ToP Network

Professional Certification and Awards

• Mastering Technology of Participation (ToP)®
• The European Language Certificate B1 German

Partial Project List

• Strategic Operating Plan, Sun Light & Power

  The 43-year solar company recently transitioned to 100% employee ownership. Designed and facilitated a multi-day, participatory process to tune-up its core vision, mission, and values and to set an ambitious strategic direction grounded in committed implementation. Results: The executive team, newly formed board, and employee-owners are enthusiastic about the company’s core purpose and values, aligned behind their 10-year Targets for Planet, People, and Profit, and committed to the co-created 3-year strategy with annual implementation plan.  The 2020 Operating Plan and budget was fully informed by this work.

  • Fundraising Action Plan, Board Retreat, Career Girls

  The founders and board president were shifting the Board from an advisory to an implementer stance.  A 1-year fundraising action plan became the vehicle for moving the board to being a cohesive team doing priority work to propel the program goals.  Results:  The Founder was thrilled with clearly articulated priorities and every Board-member was committed to lead an initiative aimed at a realistic funding level for agreed upon purposes.

   

  • Program Management, Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project 

  Managed day to day operations of the partnership of state and federal agencies, scientists, and non-profits working to protect and restore resilient rivers and wetlands in coastal Southern California from Point Conception to the U.S. – Mexico border. This work included designing with the state and federal agency co-chairs the annual work flow and agendas for monthly Wetland Managers Group meetings and biannual Directors Group meetings. Coordinated the Science Advisory Panel’s research agenda to inform the policy and funding decisions of member agencies and the design and management practices of project sponsors and wetland professionals.

   

  • Program and Project Management, California State Coastal Conservancy

  Stewarded state grant funding to advance resilient conservation in coastal watersheds.  Nurtured regional collaborations with grantees, government agencies (local, state and federal), research scientists, consultants, non-profits, and residents.  Southern California projects ranged from tidal wetland restoration programs to invasive plant removal programs in river watersheds as well as public access to river corridors and the coastline. 

Partners List