Kristin Baja

Ki Baja (formerly Kristin Baja) is the founder and co-Executive Director of Embodied Ecosystem and the Resilience Hub Collaborative. Baja is known as the "mother of Resilience Hubs" and has been recognized for her innovative work in the fields of environmental and social justice. She focuses on dismantling oppressive systems and beliefs through an ecosystem of care, collaboration, courage, connection and compassion. Baja is a healing-centered coach, an integration coach, medicine woman, climate resilience specialist, regenerative living specialist, and biomimetic.

Baja represented the United States on the US Women’s National Rugby Team from 2000-2010. She was an American rugby union player and rugby sevens player who played in the 2002 Rugby World Cup, 2002 Hong Kong Women's Sevens, and 2006 Women's Rugby World Cup. In 2009 she sustained a career ending injury in an international match against England in preparation for the 2010 World Cup.

 Early Life and Education 
Baja was born in Detroit, Michigan and is the eldest of four. 

Baja completed a Bachelor of Science degree at Arizona State University in 2001, both a Master of Science degree in Sustainable Systems and a Master of Urban Planning degree from the University of Michigan in 2011, and a Master of Biomimicry Degree at Arizona State University in 2023. 

 Professional Career 
Baja is most known for her work on climate resilience and environmental and social justice. She is the innovator of the concept of Resilience Hubs which center social cohesion, relationships, and belonging in community-led and managed spaces that are retrofitted to withstand disruptions and help communities thrive.

Baja was the Climate Resilience Planner and Floodplain Manager for the City of Baltimore from 2012-2018 where she led the city’s efforts to adopt higher regulatory standards for the floodplain, mitigate impacts from the Heat Island, develop the City's first Disaster Preparedness Plan, and won several awards including a STAR Communities 5-star rating and the ASAP Prize for Progress. In this role, Baja was recognized by the Obama Administration as a Champion of Change for Climate Equity in 2016. 

Baja became the Senior Director of Innovation and Support for the Urban Sustainability Directors Network from 2018-2024. During this time she created the New and Improved All Hazard Mitigation Plan, the Game of Extremes / Floods / Heat Training Series, the Nexus Framework, the Resilience Hubs Video Series, and the support guidelines for local governments to support community-led Resilience Hubs. She also helped design the racial equity training series and pilot innovative projects with practitioners throughout North America. 

In 2024 Baja founded Embodied Ecosystem and entered into a co-Executive Director role. She continues to lead special projects such as the Resilience Hub Collaborative, Bridging and Belonging, and Regenerative Justice. She is part of the Biomimicry Professionals Program where she weaves together traditional ecological knowledge and natures wisdom through somatic experience and embodiment.

In recent years Baja has built upon deep relationships with Native Hawaiians and Indigenous Tribes in South and Central America to deepen her practice of traditional ecological knowledge, nature’s wisdom, and spiritual practices for collective liberation. 

Baja is a public speaker who regularly keynotes at conferences and events both nationally and internationally including NY Climate Week and Conference of Parties (COP).

 Rugby Career 
Baja began playing rugby her freshman year of college at Arizona State University. She quickly accelerated in the sport and played for ASU and Southern California Select Side from 1997-2001. In 1999 she made the Under-23 US National Team and was asked to join the US National Team at a tournament in 2000. Baja represented the United States on the US Women’s National Rugby Team from 2000-2010. 

Baja played in the 2002 Rugby World Cup, 2002 Rugby World Cup Sevens, and 2006 Rugby World Cup. She also played in several tours with the United States and captained the team from 2007-2009. In 2009 she sustained a career ending injury in an international match against England in preparation for the 2010 World Cup. 

Baja played for several club and select side teams including Atlantis Sevens, Auckland Marist Rugby Football Club in New Zealand, New York Rugby Football Club, Minnesota Valkyries, and the Washington DC Furies. She also won several National Championships including 2002 with the Midwest and 2006 with the Northeast.

 Honors and Awards 

 White House Champion of Change, Climate and Equity, 2016
 Senior Fellow, Environmental Leadership Program, National Cohort 2018 
 Fellow, Aspen Institute, 2019 
 Biomimicry Professionals Program (BPros), 2024-2026

 References 

Category:Living people
Category:American rugby union players
Category:Rugby sevens players

Category:Resilience
Category:Rugby players