Kristiana Teige Witherill, Partner since 2017 | Collaborative Systems
“If a community trusts you, and you can help them come up with a roadmap for how we get from a challenge to a shared solution, I’ve found just about everyone is really welcoming of people with new ideas and new strategies.”
Kristiana specializes in collaborative coordination, facilitation, and support. She helps diverse partnerships build and use accessible, right-sized systems that make collaborative projects work better. She also serves as coordinator and facilitator for cross-sector collaboratives working on improving water quality and restoring watershed health through the use of natural infrastructure. Kristiana has a master’s degree in environmental science and management, with a specialization in water resources management.
With her process design and communications expertise, she has helped deftly guide several collaboratives through developing foundational governance structures and strengthening ongoing operations.
As she guides communities toward infrastructure solutions that benefit the environment, human health, and community development, Kristiana pulls from an array of skills: facilitation, strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, research and information synthesis, and fund development. She augments her expertise with a rich suite of communication skills; she is an accomplished editor and writer, presentation designer, video producer, and strategic communications planner.
“There isn’t a prescribed Willamette Partnership way of getting things done, but there is a Willamette Partnership ethos–and within that there is a lot of flexibility and freedom to be creative. That creativity is something that I enjoy bringing to my work.”
SKILLS & EXPERIENCES
- Building and managing effective systems to support cross-sector collaboration, including facilitation, process design, strategic planning, project management, stakeholder engagement, technology, fund development
- Research and information synthesis for collaborative decision-making
- Strategic communications
PUBLICATIONS & MEDIA
C. Sanneman and K. T. Witherill. 2019. Breaking down barriers: Action plan to advance water quality training. World Water: Stormwater Management Magazine 7(1). Water Environment Federation.
Leadership at Willamette Partnership. Willamette Partnership has always been rooted in a vision of shared leadership. We asked a few friends how they see us meeting that vision of leadership, now and in the future. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjMS4aUQT00&t=51s
Showing the connection between Oregon’s water, environment, and economy. Oregon’s 100-Year Water Vision video series. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EARoQNkFcAs
EDUCATION
Master of Science
University of California, Santa Barbara, CA
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management,
Water Resources Management specialization
Bachelor of Arts
Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA
Major in Economics, Minor in Psychology
- witherill@willamettepartnership.org
- 503.946.1904