Karen Patterson Greene supports the Center’s President and Chief Philanthropic Officer in managing and stewarding the board of directors and affinity groups including the President’s Council and Emeritus Board members. Greene leads efforts to keep the board apprised of Woodwell’s progress on climate science and solutions and plans and manages board meetings.
Patterson Greene has worked in the environmental nonprofit sphere for nearly 25 years, managing projects and foundation grants, leading strategic planning, and conducting evaluation of progress towards organizational goals. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Geography, focusing heavily on the intersection of human behavior and natural resource use. For her master’s thesis she conducted field research in Jamaica examining the use of chemical inputs on small scale farms. She also earned her master’s in Public Policy where she focused on state and regional approaches to water resource management and climate change.
Patterson Greene grew up in a household focused on the natural sciences and spent her childhood traveling to national parks or on field research trips with her forestry professor father. As a result, she developed a lifelong appreciation for the natural environment and deep concern for the negative impacts caused by overuse and pollution.
She now lives in Natick, MA with her husband, two sons, and two Labrador retrievers. In her free time she enjoys swimming, running, mountain and road biking, hiking, paddle boarding, and cross country skiing.