Krista O'Brien

Krista O’Brien is an accomplished sustainability, business, and policy practitioner with 14+ years of experience.

Krista serves as Project Manager Senior, Strategic Partnerships and Networks, for Global Partnerships at Arizona State University (ASU) Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory. Krista leads the New Carbon Economy Consortium (NCEC) Secretariat. The New Carbon Economy Consortium is an alliance of universities, national labs, financiers, NGOs and governance working in partnership with industry leaders to build a carbon conscious world. Additionally, Krista manages partnerships such as Second Nature’s UC3: University Climate Change Coalition, Parliamentarian Climate Education Advisory Committee, International University Climate Alliance, and The Earthshot Prize. She is an advisor for the ASU Center for Negative Carbon Emissions. 

Previously, Krista worked as a Program Manager for ASU Sustainability Practices working on initiatives such as the ASU Biodiversity Plan, ASU Carbon Project, Times Higher Ed reporting, AASHE STARS reporting and Single-Use Plastic Reduction. Before her time working for ASU, Krista spent 8 years working for Aramark Collegiate Hospitality as a Sustainability Coordinator, Sustainability Manager and then West Region Sustainability Director. She worked on a variety of Aramark programs such as zero-waste dining, responsible supply chains and sustainable food systems at ASU and across the west coast.

Outside of her role at ASU, Krista sits on the Salt River Project (SRP) District Board as an at-large seat 12. SRP is the Phoenix Metropolitan area's largest water provider and one of the Nation's largest community based not for profit public power utility. Krista is an Arizona native and completed the Master Gardener program through University of Arizona’s Maricopa County Cooperative Extension. Previously, Krista served two terms on the board of Trees Matter, one as a Board Member and one as Board Chair. Trees Matter is a Phoenix-based 501(c)(3) environmental education nonprofit, whose mission is to inspire and promote an increased tree canopy in the valley. She is always interested in the wide variety of opportunities in sustainability here in the Valley of the Sun and around the globe.