CWPC is thrilled to announce that we recently expanded our team with a new program associate, Katie Oran.Katie is a California Native who is passionate about building a resilient future in a changing world. She will be working on a wide variety of CWPC projects to support community wildfire risk reduction and adaptation.

Katie recently earned her Master’s Degree in Regional Planning from Cornell University where she focused her thesis research on the use of managed retreat in wildfire hazard zones across the State of California. Her thesis work combines her interests in climate change adaptation, housing, and migration, by acknowledging that solutions to the climate crisis demands a whole-of-government response that utilizes land use planning tools to keep our communities safe.

Katie also holds a B.S. in Environmental Planning, Policy, and Law from the State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry. She previously worked as a clerical technician as part of an Incident Management Team during the 2016 California wildfire season, getting a first-hand look at the complexities and challenges of wildfire response. Katie also served as a 2018-19 CivicSpark Fellow with the Community Corporation of Santa Monica, helping to increase the sustainability of affordable housing, while researching ways to rapidly expand construction capacity. She further contributed as an author for New America’s Displaced in America Report, the first of its kind indicator of housing loss combining eviction and foreclosure data for thousands of US counties. This work compelled her to more seriously explore the connection between housing, wildfires, and climate change adaptation.

Katie enjoys hiking and camping across California, with a particular interest in redwood forests and desert landscapes. She also loves writing and reading and has plans to write a novel of her own.