Building a green talent pipeline: A Q&A with Karenna Tankersley

This Q&A series highlights McKinney Climate Fellows alumni and their professional journeys within Indiana and beyond. The McKinney Climate Fellows program, administered by Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute, connects IU undergraduate and graduate students interested in climate, sustainability, and community resilience with career experiences.

As a dual master’s student at Indiana University Bloomington, Karenna Tankersley focused her studies on forest conservation, policy, climate, and community.

In the summer of 2023, Tankersley seized an opportunity to apply her knowledge by becoming a McKinney Climate Fellow with KERAMIDA, an environmental consulting firm based in Indianapolis. During her placement, she worked on an internal sustainability assessment, reviewed greenhouse gas inventory data, and explored carbon sequestration and carbon credit methodologies. 

After graduating with her dual MPA-MSES degree, Tankersley joined Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, a nonprofit that works with neighbors and volunteers to grow and maintain green spaces. There, she leads right-of-way tree plantings across the city. 

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

What did you work on as a McKinney Climate Fellow with KERAMIDA? 

When I got matched with KERAMIDA, the work was pretty open-ended. They ended up choosing to have me do an internal sustainability assessment using EcoVadis, which is a platform to help organizations measure their sustainability performance. Really, it was about trying to benchmark where KERAMIDA was and make recommendations for internal sustainability. 

That project eventually turned into building tools that could help KERAMIDA, and potentially other organizations, understand what their EcoVadis score might look like before submitting. It also helped them identify what actions could improve their score in a way that matched their internal goals and actual buy-in. 

I also worked on other projects, including reviewing greenhouse gas inventory data and looking at carbon sequestration. The carbon sequestration project was probably the most fun for me because I’m interested in forest conservation, natural resources, and the policy side of carbon credit markets. It was also very math-intensive, and I love math, so it was a fun way to use that skill. 

What is a learning moment from your placement that stayed with you? 

One thing that stayed with me was being in the room with senior managers, vice presidents, and other leaders at KERAMIDA while working on the EcoVadis assessment. I had to explain what EcoVadis was, where the company was at, and what sustainability actions they could take. 

That helped me practice communicating the pros and cons of different sustainability decisions. I use that skill a lot now at Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, where I have to communicate strategy and trade-offs around tree planting work to senior leaders. 

Another thing that stayed with me was leading other interns on a project related to particulate matter and greenhouse gas emissions. I tried to play to people’s strengths so everyone had a meaningful role, and that is something I have carried into how I lead my team now. 

What skills did McKinney Climate Fellows help you build? 

Communication and people management were big ones. I also built a lot of technical skills. 

At KERAMIDA, I worked with large data sets, including greenhouse gas inventory data with tens of thousands of rows. Learning how to manage and analyze that kind of data in Microsoft Excel was really helpful. I still use those skills now because we work with a lot of tree data at Keep Indianapolis Beautiful. 

I also gained experience with tools like RStudio and ArcGIS. I do not use ArcGIS constantly in my current role but having that continued practice with geographic data has definitely been useful. 

How did the program help clarify your career path? 

Throughout undergrad and graduate school, I tried to get a wide range of experiences. I worked in local government, nonprofit work, environmental consulting, and fieldwork. I wanted to understand different sectors because they all have to work with each other in environmental work. 

KERAMIDA helped me realize that I wanted to do more natural resource-related work. I really enjoyed the carbon sequestration project and anything connected to forests, policy, and fieldwork. 

It confirmed for me that I wanted to work in natural resources, but in an urban setting. That is a little different than some other paths people take, but I find it really rewarding. 

What is your current position, and what are your responsibilities? 

I started at Keep Indianapolis Beautiful in March 2025. My role involves leading work related to right-of-way tree plantings across Indianapolis. 

Spring and fall are our planting seasons, so during those times, we are constantly out across the city planting trees or doing tree deliveries. We might have one-to-four plantings a week. I like that the role gives me a balance of leadership, administrative work, and fieldwork. 

I also manage a large budget, track tree data through TreePlotter, write reports, and help keep our data clean and useful. The role is strategic, physical, and community-focused all at once, which I really enjoy. 

What have you learned from working on sustainability in Indianapolis? 

I have learned that every community is different. Some communities are very excited about tree plantings and want more trees. Others are more hesitant, often because trees can come with maintenance costs or because people have had negative experiences with trees damaging sidewalks or infrastructure. 

Indianapolis, like many cities, also has a history of redlining, and we still see the effects of that today. Some neighborhoods do not have the same infrastructure, tree lawns, or sidewalk conditions that make tree planting easier. That has taught me the importance of community engagement. We have to bring together the arboriculture side with the community side, making sure residents feel heard and respected. 

What advice would you give to students interested in sustainability? 

Do not be afraid to cast a wide net. If you are not sure what sector you want to work in, try a lot of different things. 

I found value working in nonprofit spaces, local government, consulting, and fieldwork. Even experiences I do not use directly now helped me in interviews and gave me skills I still draw on. 

Looking ahead, what kinds of environmental or climate work are you excited to see grow in Indianapolis? 

I am really excited about hyperlocal, neighborhood-driven work. 

I recently moved to a new neighborhood in Indianapolis, and I have started going to community meetings. I love seeing projects like community gardens, where neighbors can gather, build relationships, and have something tangible to show for the work. 

Those are the kinds of projects I think we need more of. Projects started by the community and for the community. When people know each other’s names and see each other at neighborhood meetings, that is the kind of local environmental work I am excited to see grow.

About the Environmental Resilience Institute

Indiana University's Environmental Resilience Institute bridges academia, applied research, and community resilience to deliver the science-informed, equity-centered solutions needed to flourish in a changing climate. Through community partnerships, transformative research, and immersive learning, ERI is creating a more sustainable and prosperous future. Learn more at eri.iu.edu.