Katrina Pugh, Ph.D.
Lecturer, Information & Knowledge Strategy (IKNS); President, AlignConsulting
Katrina Pugh has taught in the M.S. in Information & Knowledge Strategy (IKNS) program at Columbia University since 2011. She was Academic Director for the program from 2012-2017. She teaches the Independent Study, a research-based course, and taught “The Science of Communities and Networks” (and its antecedents) from 2012-2023. She volunteers extensively in the work of students and alumni.
Kate is a partner with Weaving Futures (https://weavingfutures.org), an impact network consulting and training organization, and is President of AlignConsulting, where she specializes in business planning, organizational learning and AI. She held leadership positions with Oceanic Global, Intel Corporation, JPMorgan, and Fidelity Investments. In addition to AlignConsulting, Kate consulted as part of EY, Monitor-Deloitte, Oliver Wyman, PwC, and Dialogos, Inc. Kate has worked in the international development, healthcare, energy, information technology, and financial services sectors.
Since 2012 Kate has designed and taught the IKNS course “The Science of Communities and Networks” (IKNS 5305, formerly “Networks and Collaboration”). She also designed and taught “Information and Knowledge in the 21st-Century Organization” 2011-2017.
Education
● PhD, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, University of Maine
● M.S./M.B.A., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
● B.A., Williams College
● Lean Six Sigma black Belt certification
● Facilitation certification
● Mediation certification
Publications
● Pugh, K., T. Johnson, L. Silka, & N. Dixon (2025). Transdisciplinarity as Strategy. Knowledge Management for Development Journal, Vol. 18 No. 2 (2025).
https://www.km4djournal.org/index.php/km4dj/article/view/573
● Pugh,K. A. Trickett, J. Ralton, M. Solomon, & E. Porter-Zuckerman (2025). January 1). Knowledge Managers bring Collectivity, Nostalgia, and Selectivity to the AI ecosystem. OSF Preprint.
https://osf.io/atfyz
● Watkins, R., Barak-Medina, E., & Pugh, K. B. (2024, May 7). Is AI Hijacking Our Agency?. OSF Preprint. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/8bpaq
● Pugh, K., EJ Uhrig, M Fergusson, A Weiskittel, S Moeykens, JD Saffeir (2024). Collaborating for a Thriving Maine Forest Sector. Maine Policy Review 33 (1), 76-82 https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mpr/vol33/iss1/8/
● Pugh K, Altmann N. A conversation tool for civility and knowledge integration: a conversation model that combines dialogue and (self)facilitation for civility and creativity in a fragmented world' (2024). Knowledge Management for Development Journal. Vol. 18, No. 1 (2024). https://www.km4djournal.org/index.php/km4dj/article/view/561
● Pugh, K., Musavi, M., Johnson, T., Burke, C., Yoeli, E., Currie, E., Pugh, B. (2023). "Neural nets for sustainability conversations: modeling discussion disciplines and their impacts. Journal of Neural Computing and Applications", 35, 21935–21947 (2023). https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00521-023-08819-z
● Pugh, Katrina (2020). Henley Forum and Columbia SPS, “The Future of KM? Ask a Digital Native.” https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6696766065151643649
● Algeo, Chivonne, Katrina Pugh, Henry Linger, and Zaheeruddin Asif (2019). "Building Project Management Capabilities with Knowledge Networks,” Project Management Institute Report. https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/knowledge-networks-cop-11798
● “KM and the Internet of Things“ (with IKNS instructor Ralph Poole) (KM World Magazine, 2016) https://www.kmworld.com/Articles/Editorial/Features/KM-AND-the-Internet-Of-Things-109962.aspx
● Smarter Innovation: Using Interactive Processes to Drive Better Business Results (Ark Group, 2014) https://www.ark-group.com/product/smarter-innovation-using-interactive-processes-drive-better-business-results#.XdC0TldKjIU
● “How To Create Social Impact Through Thoughtful Networks”(The Huffington Post, March 18, 2014) https://www.huffpost.com/entry/how-to-create-social-impa_b_4986848
● “Designing Effective Knowledge Networks” (MIT Sloan Management Review, September 12, 2013) https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/designing-effective-knowledge-networks/
● “Knowledge Jam: Three Disciplines to Beat the Merger Performance Odds” (Ivey Business Journal, July/August 2011) http://www.iveybusinessjournal.com/topics/strategy/knowledge-jam-three-disciplines-to-beat-the-merger-performance-odds
● Sharing Hidden Know-How: How Managers Solve Thorny Problems with the Knowledge Jam (Jossey-Bass/Wiley, April 2011) https://www.amazon.com/Sharing-Hidden-Know-How-non-Franchise-Leadership/dp/0470876816/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1295578223&sr=1-1
