Chelina Odbert

Chelina Odbert is Co-founder and Executive Director at Kounkuey Design Initiative (KDI). She believes in the potential of low-cost, high-impact design interventions to improve the physical, economic, and social quality of life in low-income communities.

Chelina’s experience and expertise cover a range of topics from leadership, participatory planning, and social entrepreneurship to urban development, environmental remediation, and social impact design. She has lectured and written about KDI’s community-engaged approach to planning in the U.S. and abroad, and has been recognized by the Van Alen Institute, American Express and the Aspen Institute.

Chelina holds a Bachelor of Arts from Claremont McKenna College, where she graduated with magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa honors. She received her Master of Urban Planning from Harvard University.

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