Kara Salazar

Kara Salazar

Assistant Program Leader for Community Development
Purdue Extension

Sustainable Communities Extension Specialist
Illinois – Indiana Sea Grant
Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

Purdue Campus Address

FORS Room 308
195 Marsteller Street
West Lafayette, IN 47907

salazark@purdue.edu
765.496.1070 

she/her/hers

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.

 

Featured Works

Recent News

Total Eclipse in Indiana 2024
Total Eclipse 2024 Resource Hub

On April 8, 2024 much of Indiana will experience a total solar eclipse with the path of totality...

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More Wind Farm
Purdue Extension releases Indiana renewable energy survey results

Indiana communities are facing complex land-use planning decisions, specifically in regards to...

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Purdue Extension.
The American Citizen Planner – Looking Back & Planning Ahead

Since its adaptation by a subcommittee of the Purdue Land Use Team in 2019, the ACP-IN Signature...

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modern city with lake and fountain
One Water Approach to Water Resources Management (ID-525-W) – Leslie Dorworth, Melissa Widhalm, Kara Salazar

Climate change is spotlighting the importance of managing water resources. Building on previous...

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Climate Change and Sustainable Development (ID-524-W) – Melissa Widhalm, Kara Salazar, Leslie Dorworth

Energy-intensive development practices contribute to increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the...

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ID-520-W
Are you preparing for it? (ID-520-W) – Melissa Widhalm, Kara Salazar, Leslie Dorworth

This publication provides an overview of how changing climate conditions will affect Indiana and...

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