not in investment banking or politics, so that made me a little different. I knew I wasn’t the kind of person who would thrive in a corporate job—and I even took an internship at Bank of America to prove it to myself (laughs). Ultimately, the way I chose to use my version of CMC passion, drive, and education was to change social and economic outcomes in high-need communities around the world.” After CMC, Odbert lived in Honduras, teaching 6th grade and helping locals in the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch—the first time she saw “how communities got built.” Once back in L.A., she decided to scratch an artistic itch, a design bug that always felt more like a hobby than a career to her. Working as an interior designer of luxury homes and boutique hotels showed her the power of design, but she thought that power could be more mission-driven; a tool for social justice. Through CMC connections, she landed a yearlong Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholarship to study architecture and urban planning in Mexico. She moved on to Harvard and a Master of Urban Planning: the marriage of design and policy work she had been craving. Kounkuey Design originally started as a project with five Harvard classmates working in the informal settlements of Nairobi, Kenya. “Residents told us they needed clean water, decent sanitation, income generation, a place to grow healthy food, and a place for their kids to play. We kept asking ourselves, ‘How can we do all of this in a single project?’” Odbert said. “The answer became what we called a Productive Public Space. A park that works harder for the community.” Upon returning to L.A., she continued developing various projects under the Kounkuey (Thai for “to know intimately”) banner. In 2010, she made a commitment to pursue the mission full-time. She’s now executive director of a staff of about 50 (in four locations: L.A., Coachella Valley, Nairobi, and Stockholm).
BUILDING CONNECTIONS Odbert credits CMC with giving her the tools and confidence to pursue a career calling that didn’t exist on paper. Design? To alleviate problems? For the public good? It has opened up opportunities for research and engagement she couldn’t have imagined, including a prestigious Knight Foundation Public Spaces Fellowship last year. Odbert is one of seven nationwide fellows who received $150,000 to “unleash creativity” on a project of their choice. With the money, she plans to investigate how U.S. public spaces can be more gender-inclusive—an idea influenced by a project she worked on with her students while teaching at Harvard. After a decade at Kounkuey, Odbert is most proud of the connections she’s helped build—idea to implementation,
SPRING 2020
problem to solution, dissension to conversation. Turning vacant lots into weekend swap meets or play spaces in urban Los Angeles neighborhoods—while overhauling citywide policy along the way—has been immensely rewarding: tangible progress she can see and touch. But the mental and emotional hurdles to get a project started often are more daunting than the physical ones. Odbert cited her work in an unnamed rural community where the divide between residents of color and those in political power led to a lack of trust. Instead of seeing that personal and political gap as unsolvable, Odbert worked with both sides to collaborate on economic, social, and cultural progress that not only would uplift the community, but lead to more money and resources. The project ultimately was a success—and credit was shared by officials and neighborhood residents for coming together to serve the greater good. “My job is to get people access to things they need—but that also requires helping groups understand each other better. My approach to those conversations was formed during my time at CMC,” Odbert said. “Not only did CMC help me better advocate for the things I care about, but it opened me up to the influence of ideas that, at face value, may not have fit perfectly into my social or political box. It is absolutely why I have confidence in my ability to be a bridge builder and a connector in so many different spaces.”
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