KIM ROSS

Kimberly M. Ross is Executive Director of the Center for Integrative Environmental Research (CIER) at the University of Maryland, College Park, which leads multidisciplinary studies of complex environmental challenges and stimulates active dialogue across the science-society divide to inform decision-making. The partnerships she develops with public, private, academic and nonprofit leaders support the center’s sustainable development research activities. Her work also focuses on best practices in cross-sector collaboration and networking, and on nurturing CIER’s community of researchers, graduate students and partners working at global, national, regional and local scales.

With over fourteen years of management experience, Ms. Ross has led the strategic design and implementation of highly-valued information services, partnerships, and research organizations. Ms. Ross continues to work with the Center for Public Policy and Private Enterprise in the Maryland School of Public Policy where she has served as Executive Director for the past five years. In that role, she helped to create and manage the Center and its activities, including convening leaders across sectors, researching and adapting best practices, developing policy recommendations, and influencing decision makers to improve policy and management. She oversaw a 30 fold increase in funding over five years and production of more than 40 reports, articles and books.

Throughout her eight years of public service at the national level, Ms. Ross served in a variety of roles with the White House Domestic Policy Office, the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, and the U.S. Department of Education – in the Office of Intergovernmental, Interagency and International Affairs; and the Division of Community Services and Partnerships.

As Director of the Information Resource Center at the U.S. Department of Education, Ms. Ross played a key role in improving and establishing new government information services and major public-private partnership activities. She received four Hammer Awards (given by the National Partnership for Reinventing Government) for her successes in improving customer and information services, expanding public engagement, empowering employees to improve services, and creating effective public-private partnerships.

Prior to moving to the nation’s capital, Ms. Ross focused on her environmental interests through research and writing for Oregon’s Department of Land Conservation and Development, designing and teaching a hands-on curriculum in natural resources for Oregon’s Outdoor School, and providing ecological, geological and geographical information in Yellowstone National Park.

Ms. Ross holds a M.P.P. in Environmental Policy from the Maryland School of Public Policy and a B.A. in Business Administration from Rhodes College.