Karen Farbridge, Ph.D.
Dr. Karen Farbridge has over 25 years of experience in community leadership. She has 17 years of experience in municipal politics, including serving 11 years as the Mayor of Guelph, Ontario. She received a BSc, MSc and PhD from the University of Guelph (Ontario, Canada).
Karen is currently a member of Sustainable Energy Initiative – York University, Ontario; Columbia Institute Associate – Vancouver, BC; Adjunct Faculty – York University, Ontario; Community Energy Knowledge and Action Partnership – Canada; and Canadian Index of Wellbeing Advisory Board – Waterloo, Ontario. Dr. Farbridge is well
connected in the municipal and community energy sector in Canada, currently serving with the Sustainable Energy Initiative (SEI) and as a partner with the Community Energy Knowledge and Action Partnership (CEKAP).
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For many years, Karen has lead community-level innovation. She has a diverse background managing complex, multi-stakeholder policy environments to deliver impactful results. Karen is committed to the creation of smart, sustainable and resilient communities, offering consulting services in government relations, community engagement and leadership for building strong governance platforms for effective partnerships. Karen is a change agent who can effectively challenge status quo thinking and approaches to provoke new conversations and inspire innovation. She is also a highly respected speaker who has delivered hundreds of talks on matters of current urban interest, including sustainability, engagement and community energy, to a diverse range of audiences both locally and internationally.