Marina Varano is a Senior Planner at KTUA. She recently completed her Master’s in City and Regional Planning from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and holds a B.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. While in graduate school, Marina worked for the City of San Luis Obispo’s Office of Sustainability & Natural Resources, where she contributed to climate action planning and implementation, as well as open space conservation planning projects.

Prior to attending graduate school, Marina spent six years working in the environmental non-profit sector for local organizations like I Love a Clean San Diego and the San Diego River Park Foundation. Her work in the non-profit sector focused on community engagement, environmental education, event planning, volunteer coordination, and project management for a range of local environmental issues and opportunities. Through these experiences, Marina learned the importance of effectively engaging and empowering communities to create positive, lasting change. With a passion for sustainable and healthy communities, Marina is excited to join KTUA and contribute to impactful planning projects that will shape our cities for the better. Outside of work, Marina spends her time surfing, hiking, going on road trips, and enjoying San Diego’s live music scene.