Osamu Kumasaka, Community Action Director (email)

Osamu is a planner and researcher who believes that, though climate science has advanced greatly, governments struggle to engage vulnerable residents and provide resources that improve their lives. His passion is for helping under-represented peoples tell their stories of environmental and housing injustice. As a consultant to cities, state agencies, and conservation nonprofits in the Northeastern U.S., including The Nature Conservancy, the Barr Foundation, NYSERDA, and the Massachusetts State Senate, Osamu has empowered thousands of people in participatory processes that envisioned the future of sustainable transportation, renewable energy, water quality, river restoration, and climate resilience. 

Osamu is a licensed mediator and experienced group facilitator trained at Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation. He holds a BA in Environmental Studies from Lewis & Clark College, and is currently a Masters in City Planning candidate at MIT DUSP. His work and research on stakeholder engagement has been presented to the United Nations Systems Staff College (2016), the Georgetown Climate Center Workshop on Managed Retreat (2018), and at the Pipeline Safety Trust Annual Conference (2019).