Kristen Godard, MP (Master of Planning), is an Associate and the Operations Manager for La Piana Associates.  Kristen has strong analytical research skills and a background in organizational development, communications, and advocacy. She consults on projects involving strategic planning, organizational assessment, strategic restructuring, and market and survey research, and has worked with nonprofits from a wide range of sectors including the environment, the arts, and social services.

Additionally, Kristen was the project manager for the Strategic Solutions Project, a foundation-funded initiative aimed at increasing the awareness of the nonprofit sector of the potential value of strategic restructuring activities, such as mergers, joint ventures, and administrative consolidations.  She conducted research and wrote case studies on various forms of partnership; developed and presented trainings for nonprofits, funders, and; and co-authored The Nonprofit Mergers Workbook, Part II: Unifying the Organization after a Merger.

Kristen also co-authored The Due Diligence Tool: for use in pre-grant assessment (2004) and Tool for Assessing Startup Organizations: a due diligence supplement for grantmakers (2003), both published by Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO).

Previously, Kristen was Director of Silicon Valley Training Programs at CompassPoint Nonprofit Services — the nation’s largest management support organization for nonprofits.  In this role, she developed a range of technical assistance programs focused on organizational effectiveness and technology topics. Kristen also worked as an independent consultant specializing in fund development and special events planning. She currently serves on the national board of the Alliance for Healthy Homes in Washington, DC, and is the volunteer Funding Director for the Mockingbird Foundation, a philanthropic organization that supports music education for children.

Before coming to California, Kristen worked for six years at the W. Alton Jones Foundation in Charlottesville, VA. She began as a Researcher doing policy analysis and advocacy on pesticides and toxics, and then spent four years as a Program Officer with responsibility for managing a national grassroots environmental grantmaking portfolio. Prior to that, Kristen worked on environmental policy issues at several nonprofit and governmental agencies including the Institute for Environmental Negotiation, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, and Piedmont Environmental Council.

Kristen has a Master of Planning degree with a concentration in land use and environmental policy, and a Bachelors of Science in Systems Engineering with a concentration in computer science, both from the University of Virginia.

You can reach Kristen at 805-553-9741 or godard@lapiana.org.