Kara Salazar is Assistant Program Leader for Community Development with Purdue Extension and Sustainable Communities Extension Specialist, affiliated with Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and the Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources. Working with multidisciplinary teams, Kara oversees the development, delivery, and evaluation of programs to support environmental planning, community development, and sustainable development strategies in communities across Indiana and Great Lakes states. Kara provides leadership to the Purdue Extension Community Development Program and serves as a liaison between Illinois – Indiana Sea Grant and Purdue Extension. Programs emphasize collaborative planning and facilitated inclusive community forums using data and visualization tools to explore policy and management interventions that address complex natural resource management and land use issues. Areas of focus include community resilience, green infrastructure, hazard mitigation, parks and public spaces, renewable energy, and social justice.

Kara has a Ph.D. in natural resources social science from Purdue University, an M.S.Ed. in community building and science education from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, an M.P.A. in natural resources management and nonprofit management from Indiana University, and a B.S. in public affairs and environmental science from Indiana University. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), a Climate Change Professional (CC-P), and a Professional Community and Economic Developer (PCED) with credentials from LEED AP Neighborhood Development, the National Green Infrastructure Certification Program (NGICP), and the National Charrette Institute.