Kristi Hansen joins WyACT leadership team

Dr. Kristiana (Kristi) Hansen is now a Co-Principal Investigator for WyACT. Hansen is an Associate Professor and Extension Water Resource Economist in the Department of Agricultural & Applied Economics at the University of Wyoming. Her research focuses on water resource economics, community resilience to climate variability, and water management policy.

Hansen has been part of WyACT since the project kicked off in 2022. In her new role, she will help integrate economic and community perspectives into ongoing research, particularly in understanding how agricultural, municipal, and recreational water users respond to changing water availability. Her experience in applied, interdisciplinary research and community engagement will strengthen WyACT’s efforts to make research useful and actionable for real-world water management challenges.

Former Co-PI Corrie Knapp, Associate Professor at the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, remains an important member of the project. In collaboration with Jeff Hamerlinck, another WyACT team member, she will be building the new Center for Rural Resilience and Innovation at UW.