Lauren Kuby, a former two-term councilmember and vice mayor in Tempe, is a long-time advocate for environmental, consumer, and worker protections.

PROFESSIONAL LIFE

As manager of community outreach for ASU’s Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation, Kuby engaged the ASU community, small businesses, nonprofits, and neighborhoods in sustainable solutions. She also ran the Stardust Center for Affordable Housing and the Family. Though retired from ASU, she remains a Senior Global Futures Scientist there and continues to advocate for her community and for climate solutions.

ADVOCACY

Lauren is a recognized national champion for climate action and cities and local governments as incubators of innovation. Veteran journalist Juan Gonzales featured Lauren in his book Reclaiming Gotham, citing her as evidence of a growing movement of cities taking progressive action and challenging legislative interference in local democracies.

As a Tempe councilmember, she led efforts for social, economic, environmental, and racial justice, including climate action, equal pay, earned sick days, affordable housing, animal welfare, urban forestry, transparency, and campaign-finance reform. She spearheaded a dark-money ballot initiative, garnering 91.44% support from Tempe voters. For her efforts exposing the corruptive influence of money in politics, Lauren was featured in the inaugural episode of the MSNBC docuseries American Swamp.

Seeing the need for statewide action, in 2022, Lauren ran for Arizona Corporation Commission, with the goal of gaining a majority of renewable energy advocates on the Commission, which Kuby called “the most important statewide office that no one’s ever heard of.” Recently, she ran for an even lesser-known office – the acreage-based SRP board – where land ownership is a requirement for voting and you vote the amount of acreage you own.

AWARDS & HONORS

2020 & 2022: Women’s History Month Climate Heroes - Sierra Club, Grand Canyon Chapter

2018: “Women of Inspiration” - University Career Women, ASU

2016: “Top Municipal Elected Official in the US,” Democratic Municipal Officials

2014: “Top 5 People who made a Difference in Tempe” by The Arizona Republic

2014: Hero for Eco-Justice” by Arizona Interfaith Power and Light

FAMILY

Lauren has a master’s degree in public history from ASU and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago and has lived in Tempe for 36+ years with her husband Mike, a transportation geographer, and two daughters.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

• Tempe Women’s Club, 2018 to present

• Climate Power, Advisory Board for Arizona, 2020 to present

• Local Progress, Co-Chair, Re-Imagining Democracy

• Democratic Municipal Officials, Arizona Chair, 2018 to 2022

• Democratic Municipal Officials Policy Committee, Co-Chair, 2018 to 2022

• Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Policy Advisory Committee,
  National League of Cities, Committee Member, 2015 to 2022

• Arizona Municipal Water Users Association, Board Member, 2015 to 2020

• Planned Parenthood Annual Luncheon Organizing Committee

• Tempe Community Counci, Past Board Member

• Tempe Leadership Class XXV

• Tempe Sister Cities, Past Board Member

• Valley Forward, Past Board Member
  

  ASU

• Arizona Students Association, ASU Student Club Advisor, 2022

• Stop Dark Money, ASU Student Club Advisor, 2021 to 2022

• March For Our Lives, ASU Student Club Advisor, 2020 to 2022

• Food for Change, ASU Student Club Advisor, 2020 to 2022

• Next Gen ASU, ASU Student Club Advisor, 2019 to 2022

• Arizona Student Environmental Coalition, ASU Club Advisor (past)

EDUCATION

Masters Degree in Public History, ASU (1992)

• Best Master’s Thesis, Department of History: What’s Sown Deep Takes Root: Schoolbook Advice to Girls and the Ideal of Womanhood, 1800 to 1830

Bachelor’s Degree in American history, The University of Chicago (1980)

• Highest Honors

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

• 2007: Conservation Biology: Estimating the Effect of Protected Lands on the Development and Conservation of Their Surroundings with R.I. McDonald et al.

• 2007: Ecosystems: Integrating Social Science into the Long-Term Ecological Research Network: Social Dimensions of Ecological Change and Ecological Dimensions of Social Change with C.L. Redman et al.