Director of Planning, Research, and Sustainability, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District
Karen Sands is the director of planning, research, and sustainability for the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) where she’s worked for nearly 20 years. As director, she integrates grey and green infrastructure planning to recycle wastewater, reduce energy use/switch to renewables, and manage river and stormwater flooding.
With a career spanning more than 30 years, Karen has held a number of planning positions in the public and private sectors in Wisconsin, Maine, and New York. She spent the first half of her career helping highway and airport runway projects move forward, and she’s spending the second half ensuring that infrastructure is designed with nature in mind. She is certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).