Christine Olmeda is a Latina engineer who uses technical competencies in various contexts. She is Brazilian and Puerto Rican and has lived in several communities in the United States as well as Mexico and South Sudan. In her current role, she manages compliance, metrics, and process improvement for housing services at Inner City Christian Federation (ICCF).
Passionate about equitable outcomes in all sectors, Christine uses her previous experience in water and wastewater engineering to represent the Third Ward on the City of Grand Rapids Stormwater Oversight Commission. She serves on the leadership team of the West Michigan Research Network and is a member of the Latina Network of West Michigan. Through her various networks, she advocates for the use of metrics and outcomes measurement in justice and community development initiatives.
Christine studied Chemical and Environmental Engineering at Penn State and worked as a process engineer before moving to South Sudan to serve as a water engineer in partnership with the government water office and the local church. Observing the interconnectedness of community development initiatives across all sectors, she broadened her focus from the water sector and obtained an MA in International Development from Eastern University. Returning to the United States, she transferred her technical skills in metrics and process improvement from rural water provision in the international context to housing justice in West Michigan.