About me
Kirsten Shead (she/her) is Co-Executive Director of Milwaukee Water Commons, where she advances water equity and environmental justice through coalition building, policy and advocacy, programming and movement building. With a background in chemistry and interfaith leadership, she brings a unique blend of science, spirituality, and movement-building to her work, weaving artistic and cultural connections to water into community action. Kirsten cultivates community leadership through initiatives like Branch Out Milwaukee, promoting equitable urban canopy restoration, and through her service on the Wisconsin Governor’s Climate Change Task Force. Her advocacy, alongside coalition partners, helped secure lead service line replacement in Milwaukee and advance restoration efforts in the Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern. She consistently challenges racial inequities within environmental spaces while fostering dialogue, accountability, and multiracial leadership. Grounded in anti-racism, LGBTQ+ and women’s leadership, a deep love for the Milwaukee community and our sacred earth, Kirsten finds joy in the natural world — identifying plants, watching wildlife, and being on, in, or under water.
