Colleen McHugh is an urban strategist, planner, and designer working towards a more environmentally just future. She earned a Master in City Planning with a Certificate in Urban Design from MIT and a BA in Global Studies from UCLA, and has fifteen years of experience supporting climate and resilience planning and implementation at the local, state, and federal levels. 

Colleen leads The Water Institute’s planning practice that facilitates science-informed and collaborative processes towards trusted decisions and impactful outcomes. Through this role, Colleen has helped to lead a wide range of resilience, coastal, flood protection, water resources, climate mitigation, and adaptation plans working with federal agencies, state agencies, local governments, tribal governments, and community organizations. Prior to this, Colleen spent five years working in the public sector in New Orleans and was instrumental in the development of the city’s award-winning resilience strategy and first climate action plan.

‍