Michael Kern

Biography

In addition to being Adjunct Faculty at Seattle University’s Institute of Public Service, Michael Kern serves as an Affiliate Associate Professor at the University of Washington’s (UW) Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, Adjunct Associate Professor of Extension at Washington State University (WSU), Principal of Michael Kern Consulting, LLC, and is the former Director of the William D. Ruckelshaus Center (a joint effort of WSU Extension and the UW Evans School that fosters durable, effective and collaboration solutions to public policy challenges in the State of Washington and Pacific Northwest). He is also Director of Special Projects for UW’s Center for Urban Waters and Puget Sound Institute.

Michael has a Master of Public Administration degree (MPA) from the UW Evans School, and more than 30 years of experience in the field of collaborative governance and public policy conflict resolution, through which diverse public and private sector interests reach common ground and develop collaborative solutions to complex, often controversial public policy challenges. Most of this work has been on natural resources issues (such as large-scale environmental clean-up, water and watershed management, salmon and other species restoration, natural disaster recovery and resilience, etc.), but has included a range of other issues (such as land use and growth management planning, health policy, outdoor recreation, transportation, and economic and community development). In addition to an MPA, Michael has a fine arts background, which helps him bring a creative mindset to policy challenges. He specializes in finding innovative approaches, and getting groups “unstuck.”