Kim is an AICP certified planner with 28 years of community planning experience at the regional, parish, municipal, and neighborhood scales. She has specialized in working with local governments, leading community planning efforts, and finding creative solutions to address local issues.  She also has experience in post disaster recovery and long-term community resilience building.  Understanding local values and goals while considering big ideas underpin her approach when working with local communities. 

Kim has worked in the Capital Region for the past 8 years and in Louisiana for 15 years.  Prior to moving to Louisiana, Kim was a community planner in Washington state for 13 years.  During her time in Washington, Kim was the State Environmental Policy Act Responsible Official for the City of Kent where she issued environmental threshold decisions, oversaw environmental impact statements, and managed complex and politically sensitive projects.  Kim led both the current and long range planning teams before leaving her position in Kent, WA.  Prior to working at the City of Kent, Kim was a natural resource planner working with tribes, property owners, federal agencies, and other stakeholders to improve water and wetland quality.

Interview with Kim Marousek

What drew you to CPEX?

My career has been primarily in the local government planning space. While passionate about helping local communities, I am also excited about the opportunity to help shape policy decisions across the state and at various scales from the community level to the state level.

How will you use your past experience and new position at CPEX to advance Louisiana communities? 

CPEX has a broad reach at the local and state levels, and I hope to use my experience – both from my work in Washington and Louisiana – to tailor and facilitate planning processes that help create local places that express community values and visions.

What are you most excited about accomplishing at CPEX?

I am most excited about working with this group of dedicated professionals and the supportive board to accomplish the mission of CPEX. I hope to use my experience to mentor early career professionals in the area of community engagement and planning.

Favorite thing about living and working in Louisiana?

The deeply rooted fabric of local communities built on generations of families living in the same area.

What do you like to do in your free time?

Attending Saints and NOLA Gold (rugby) games. 

Message/call to action for CPEX audience/ Louisiana residents?

Change is difficult although we know that it is imperative given the external threats we face in Louisiana. I’m committed to work with leaders and stakeholders to find incremental ways to address those challenges in ways that best align with their community values and goals.