Katherine Cushing has taught at San Jose State University since 2003.  Prior to joining the faculty, she worked in a variety of academic and professional positions, such as serving as the Associate Director for the Program on Urban Studies at Stanford, where she taught and conducted research in environmentally sustainable cities, business and the environment, and qualitative research methods. She was also a Senior Research Associate at the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security in Oakland, where she conducted research on environmental certification systems and global water issues.  As a private consultant, Cushing has conducted research for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Santa Clara Valley Water District, World Commission on Dams, and City of Palo Alto.  She is also Project Lead on the Urban Water Cycle Scenario Evaluation Tool for Sustainable Silicon Valley, a collaborative initiative to produce significant environmental improvement and resource conservation in Silicon Valley.  Cushing received a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and Science from Northwestern University and both an M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering and a Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering, with a specialty in Environmental Planning and Management, from Stanford University.