Katharine specializes in renewable energy, environmental, and natural resource economics.
Katharine Nester is a technology and product management leader turned economist, who joined ECOnorthwest in 2024. At ECOnorthwest she works in the natural resources practice area, providing economic analysis for projects in the renewable energy, climate mitigation, and ecosystem services spaces. Prior to joining ECOnorthwest, Katharine led cross-functional teams to design, build, and launch software products for companies as diverse as AAA and Ancestry.com. With her master’s in economics, Katharine worked on academic research related to the economic impact of hemp cultivation and the impact of urban density on transportation choices. Katharine has served on the board of AppCamp for Girls, a Portland-based nonprofit that introduced young women to software development through coding camps, and continues to mentor women in tech.