Kelsy Raap joined the Institute for Sustainable Communities in July of 2007 as a member of the Development and Communications team. Her work includes donor outreach, managing and preparing grant proposals and reporting on program activities. Prior to joining ISC, Raap worked as a sustainability consultant. She worked with companies and organizations on a range of issues that addressed their ecological impacts, social and economic sustainability. Projects included strategic planning for a watershed-based ecological restoration and economic revitalization plan, and launching a marketing and sales strategy for the first residential conservation development in Costa Rica.

Raap holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies and in Political Science from Pitzer College in Claremont, CA. During her studies, she worked pro bono in Brazil researching and making recommendations on ecotourism possibilities for rural river communities. In Costa Rica she worked as a Teaching Assistant for courses in environmental restoration and ecological entrepreneurship, and in the United States as an environmental educator for middle school students.