College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Are you looking for a career that provides meaningful challenges and makes a positive difference in your community each day? Join us for a virtual conversation with two Gator Grads who have chosen public service careers in local government, tackling the day-to-day issues that impact most of our lives.

Kathleen Kauffman is the historic preservation officer with the City of Gainesville; Karissa Raskin works in Gainesville’s Office of Strategic Initiatives, building relationships with local stakeholders and connecting resources to address community needs.

They will share what a career in local government is all about and help you discover the internships and employment opportunities that might be available to you.

Speakers:

Kathleen Kauffman (UF MA grad) is a Historic Preservation Officer for the City of Gainesville. Previously, she was a principal at KSK Preservation, Historic Preservation Chief for Miami-Dade County, Historic Preservation Officer for the City of Miami and Executive Director of the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation. Kauffman earned her bachelor’s degree in historic preservation from Mary Washington College and her master’s degree in historic preservation from the University of Florida.

Karissa Raskin (UF MA grad) is the Civic Collaboration Supervisor in the City of Gainesville’s Office of Strategic Initiatives. She works to foster collaboration between diverse local stakeholders to build mutually beneficial partnerships that can improve the wellbeing of our community. By crossing institutional boundaries and breaking down the silos that separate our community, Karissa strives to welcome all community members into the process of designing, developing, and implementing solutions that can solve some of the complex issues facing our communities.