Chitra Kumar is a public policy and planning expert and seasoned manager. Throughout her nearly 20-year federal career, she has held various roles leading diverse teams and creating partnerships with federal, state and local governments and community organizations to improve environmental and social conditions of underserved communities.
From 2021-2023 Chitra was part of the senior leadership team of EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice (EJ), advising senior Biden Administration officials and career EPA leaders on EJ and climate policies and programs, including Justice 40 and a $3 billion Inflation Reduction Act provision for Environmental and Climate Justice Grants. She also helped shepherd the organization through a historic reorganization in which she became Director of the Office of Policy, Partnerships, and Program Development, laying out a vision for entirely new lines of work for the agency to integrate EJ throughout its programs and policies.
Previously, from March 2020-2021 Ms. Kumar was Senior Fellow with the Aspen Institute’s Community Strategies Group and Thrive Rural, focused on bridging the fields of health, environment, and economic development to improve rural well-being. From 2015-2019 she directed the Federal and State Division of EPA’s Office of Community Revitalization. From 2013-2014, she served at the White House Council on Environmental Quality as the Deputy Associate Director for Water, where she contributed to high-profile water-related federal policies, including implementation strategies for clean water, water infrastructure finance, green infrastructure, and freshwater climate change resilience.
Chitra holds a Master in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Arts from Boston University.
From 2021-2023 Chitra was part of the senior leadership team of EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice (EJ), advising senior Biden Administration officials and career EPA leaders on EJ and climate policies and programs, including Justice 40 and a $3 billion Inflation Reduction Act provision for Environmental and Climate Justice Grants. She also helped shepherd the organization through a historic reorganization in which she became Director of the Office of Policy, Partnerships, and Program Development, laying out a vision for entirely new lines of work for the agency to integrate EJ throughout its programs and policies.
Previously, from March 2020-2021 Ms. Kumar was Senior Fellow with the Aspen Institute’s Community Strategies Group and Thrive Rural, focused on bridging the fields of health, environment, and economic development to improve rural well-being. From 2015-2019 she directed the Federal and State Division of EPA’s Office of Community Revitalization. From 2013-2014, she served at the White House Council on Environmental Quality as the Deputy Associate Director for Water, where she contributed to high-profile water-related federal policies, including implementation strategies for clean water, water infrastructure finance, green infrastructure, and freshwater climate change resilience.
Chitra holds a Master in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Arts from Boston University.