Curriculum Vitae (select)
Education
University of East Anglia, School of Global Development | Norwich, UK
Current PhD researcher in the School of Global Development | Expected completion 2024
Member, Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research; Member, Water Security Research Centre; Member, Global Environmental Justice Group
Working Thesis: “Examining the Role of Water Sharing in Producing Resilience: A Situated Study of New Mexico’s Acequias” Supervised by Dr. Iokiñe Rodriguez, Dr. Teresa Armijos Burneo, and Dr. Jessica Budds (Universität Bonn)
Clark University | Worcester, MA
Master of Science in Environmental Science and Policy | May 2017
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Honors | Subfield in International Relations | May 2016
Practitioner and Professional Experience
Data Analyst | Civil 20 Engagement Group | Group of 20 (G20) | March 2023 – April 2023
Lead qualitative analyst for the G20 grassroots survey, which reached 9,000 participants in 64 countries, through the Civil 20 Engagement Group.
Projects Specialist | Amigos Bravos | September 2022 – May 2023
Lead support for grant development, quality assurance protection plans, water quality sampling design, and public communications.
Director, Working Lands Resiliency Initiative | Taos Land Trust | April 2019 – September 2021
Principle researcher for the Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment (VCA). The VCA identifies the absolute and relative vulnerability of Taos’ working lands and acequia systems to the impacts of climate change and development pressure, while engaging in a process of resilience building through dialogue, mapping, and participatory engagement and design. Access: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/13cf6c6cdf164d2ab37ebafd22db6fc8
Facilitator and Fellow | Rio Fernando de Taos Revitalization Collaborative | January 2018 – September 2021
Facilitator, January 2020 – September 2021: Provided facilitation and support to the Collaborative. Honored and integrated a diversity of watershed management views and practices. Worked individually with Collaborative members to align their projects with the Revitalization work-plan, through an environmental justice framework grounded in local land-based practice.
Revitalization Fellow, January 2018 – January 2020: Aided the Collaborative in communications and programming. Provided research for the future ecologic and cultural revitalization of the Rio Fernando corridor, with attention to varying and dynamic stakeholder needs.
Associate Consultant | Rio Chiquito Research and Consulting | April 2018 – August 2019
Researched and developed sustainable, climate resilient agricultural programming for Rio Fernando Park. Principle author of the climate change impact and resilience assessment included within the master planning process. Co-author of the Agricultural Master Plan for the park property.
Co-author of the Questa Re-Development Study: examining the feasibility of retrofitting vacant housing stock to increase affordable housing and income revenue for a depressed rural community, transitioning from a mining to tourist economy.
Board and Chair Experience
Associate Board Member | Native Future | August 2020 – August 2022
Supports organizational partnership with the indigenous Wounaan, Ngäbe and Buglé communities of Panama in their efforts towards recognized and protected land tenure, climate resilience, extractive industry resistance, indigenous stewardship. cartographic mapping, and a territorial alerts system.
Advisory Board Member | New Mexico Local News Fund | August 2020 – September 2021
Advisor in Taos County. Supported inter-regional dialogue to enhance sustainable, reliable local news representation, coverage and collaboration.
Co-Chair, Environment and Agriculture Sector | EC-COAD | April 2020 – September 2021
Coordinated rapid response planning and implementation for the environmental and agricultural sector of Taos County through the EC-COAD (Enchanted Circle Community Organizations Active in Disaster). Lead long term resilience planning for the regional food system, facilitated the regional food systems working group.
Executive Board Member | Alianza Agri-Cultura de Taos | October 2017 – October 2021
Supported and guided organizational initiatives of working land and acequia restoration, oral history documentation, and policy implementation. Oversaw organizational function, grant writing, and project documentation.
Academic Research and Teaching Experience
Independent Graduate Student Research | Clark University | August 2016 – May 2017
Advisor: Timothy Downs, D. Env. | Department of International Development, Community and Environment
Master’s paper: "Atole de Maíz Azul: Building Climate Change Resilience through Local Knowledge/Food Sovereignty in Northern New Mexico" Access: https://commons.clarku.edu/idce_masters_papers/176
Analyzed climate change impacts to the hydrology of Northern New Mexico. Investigated the vulnerability of rural agricultural and indigenous communities affected by those impacts. Examined the role of participatory stakeholder engagement, local knowledge and food sovereignty in building community agricultural resilience. Conducted stakeholder interviews and integrated interview results into findings. Utilized qualitative and quantitative approaches.
Independent Graduate Student Research | Clark University | January 2016 – May 2016
Advisor: Timothy Downs, D. Env. | Department of International Development, Community and Environment
Paper: "The case for an integrative participatory approach to sustainable development assessment/planning based on the Minas Conga experience in Peru”
Assessed the business-as-usual design, planning, implementation, and assessment of Minas Conga in Peru. Co-authored the integrative framework for sustainable development, utilized within the paper to inform analysis.
Independent Undergraduate Student Research | Clark University | January 2015 – May 2015
Advisor: Heather Silber Mohamed, Ph.D. | Department of Political Science
Examined the Keystone XL Pipeline’s environmental politics as a catalyst for public awareness of indigenous environmental rights in a college student sample. Employed qualitative data analysis.
Teaching Assistant | Clark University | 2015 – 2017
Syrian Civil War Simulation – Developed and implemented a course that culminated in a hybrid online and in-person simulation of a diplomatic response to the Syrian Civil War. In partnership with the International Studies Association. Spring Semester, 2017. Professor Michael Butler, Ph.D. Department of Political Science.
Introduction to International Relations – Led class discussions, held office hours, graded coursework, designed and presented lecture on human rights to class of 50+ students. Fall Semester, 2016. Professor Michael Butler, Ph.D. Department of Political Science.
Research Methods for Political Science – Attended lectures, held weekly office hours, and led pre-exam review sessions for students. Conducted qualitative data analysis in independent research on the Keystone XL pipeline (see ‘Academic Research Experience’). Spring Semester, 2015. Professor Heather Silber Mohamed, Ph.D. Department of Political Science.
Papers and Publications
Dixon, K. (2024). Book review: Pettenati, G. 2022: Landscape as Heritage: International Critical Perspectives. Progress in Development Studies, 24(1), 80-82. https://doi.org/10.1177/14649934231205609
Dixon, K. (2022). Book review: Staddon, C. and Christopher A. Scott. 2021: Putting water security to work: Addressing global sustainable development challenges. Water Alternatives. https://www.water-alternatives.org/index.php/boh/item/283-staddon
Downs, T.J., Cabrera-Roa, A.*, Dixon, K.*, Duff, P.*, Pasay, E.* and Silverfine, H.* (2020). “The Case for Integrative Sustainable Development Practice Based on the Minas Conga Gold-Mining Experience in Peru”. Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection, 8, 17-40. doi: 10.4236/gep.2020.85002.
Bell, A., Dixon, K.C., Fisher, B., Joyce, J., Vrooman, S., Wright, B., (2018). “Rio Fernando Park Master Plan” Prepared by Keystone Restoration Ecology, Rio Chiquito Research and Consulting, Sound Tree, and Henry Architects for the Taos Land Trust.
Joyce, G. with Dixon, K.C. (2018). “Agricultural Master Plan: Rio Fernando Park” Prepared by Rio Chiquito Research and Consulting for the Taos Land Trust.
Dixon, K.C. (2017). "Atole de Maíz Azul: Building Climate-Change Resilience with Local Knowledge/Food Sovereignty in Northern New Mexico" International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE).
Bassett, X.R., and Dixon, K.C. (2017). “Protect Chaco from Fracking: An Action Guide” The Environmental Justice Coalition of Northern New Mexico.
Presentations
Dixon, K.C. “Working Lands Resiliency Initiative: An Acequia Based Approach to Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment” (April 2020, Virtual). Presented at the American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting 2020 – Water, Life, and Society Session.
Bell, J., Dixon, K.C., Gilmore, E., Wolf, Z. “U.S. Foreign Policy in Crisis: Lessons from the Syrian Civil War Simulation” (April 2017). Presented at Academic Spree Day, Clark University, in collaboration with the Francis A. Harrington Public Affairs Fund and the International Studies Association.
Dixon, K.C. “Atole de Maíz Azul: Building Climate Change Resilience through Local Knowledge/Food Sovereignty in Northern New Mexico” (March 2017). Presented at the Environmental Science and Policy Symposium, Clark University.
Dixon, K.C. “Dooda: No Violation on Our Sacred Sites: Water Monitoring, Hydraulic Fracturing and the Diné Navajo Community of New Mexico” (April 2016). Presented at Academic Spree Day, Clark University.
Community Engagement
Facilitator | Taos Local Food Coalition | June 2020 – June 2021
Convened a coalition of producers, educators, social workers, policy makers, elected officials, non-profits, economic development corportations, farm to school programs, and community representatives to identify and address immediate and long term needs of the Taos community as related to food, water, and agriculture.
Cofounder | Environmental Justice Coalition of Northern New Mexico | December 2016 – January 2018
Organized action events to enhance community awareness of, and methods of advocacy against, environmental injustice in Northern New Mexico. Project of focus: Oil and gas development in the Greater Chaco region.
El Vacié Volunteer Internship | El Vacié de Seville, Spain | August 2014 – December 2014
Collaborated with La Guardaria en El Vacié, sponsored by CIEE Seville, to serve at-risk Gitano youth through a decolonial human rights and social justice framework.
Student Activist Coordinator, Chapter President & Founder | Amnesty International USA | 2011 – 2014
Student Activist Coordinator for Central Massachusetts 2013 – 2014. Advised and served as a liaison to university groups. Mobilized student action groups. Organized conferences and speakers.
President and founder of Clark University’s Amnesty International branch (2012 – 2014); President and founder of high school branch (2011).
Embracing the World | USA | 2010 – Present
Volunteer for Embracing the World and Green Friends USA in Santa Fe, NM: promoting environmental awareness and ecosystem restoration.