Prof. Karen E. Firehock, MUEP, is an environmental planner with more than 26 years of experience in natural resources management. She is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Green Infrastructure Center and oversees green infrastructure planning and research projects. Since 1999, she has served on the adjunct faculty at the University of Virginia and teaches graduate courses in green infrastructure planning, watershed planning and stormwater management, global health and environmental ordinances, and fundraising. She has authored numerous handbooks, such as, "A Local Government's Guide to Stream Corridor Protection," and "Collaboration: A Guide for Environmental Advocates," as well as, guides for wetland conservation and watershed planning. She has won local state and national awards for her work, such as the "National Greenways Award" for her river and wetland conservation, and the Virginia River "Conservationist of the Year Award." She and her graduate students also won the award of "Design Professional of the Year," for the Charlottesville Comprehensive Plans Environmental Sustainability Chapter in 2007, created as part of the class "PLAC 550: Green Cities Green Lands," students in her watershed planning class also won an award from the Virginia Planning Association. Prof. Firehock is active in community planning issues; she has served as Chair of the Charlottesville Planning Commission and served on numerous environmental committees at the local, state and national levels.