# Kearns & West

> Kearns & West is a privately held, woman-owned national consulting firm that designs and runs difficult public processes. Founded in 1984 by Ken Kearns and Anna West, it serves government agencies, utilities, companies, tribes, and nonprofits with neutral facilitation, mediation, stakeholder engagement, strategic communications, and digital participation. Its niche is the procedural layer beneath contentious decisions in water, energy, transportation, land, marine resources, climate, and regional planning.

- **Founded:** 1984
- **Headquarters:** San Francisco, United States
- **Founders:** Kenneth D. Kearns (Co-founder and Senior Counselor), Anna L. West (Co-founder and Managing Principal)
- **Team size:** Approximately 85 employees on LinkedIn; the company lists 11 principal-led regional teams and locations in 12 U.S. cities.
- **Products:** Collaborative Services and Facilitation, Strategic Communications, Digital Engagement, Tribal Relations
- **Notable:** Built a national practice over more than four decades while remaining privately held and woman-owned., Holds a GSA Multiple Award Schedule contract for professional services covering 2022-2027, with possible option periods., Produced the Marine Energy Environmental Toolkit under a U.S. Department of Energy award with scientific and industry collaborators.

## Products & services

- **Collaborative Services and Facilitation** — Process design, mediation, strategic planning, stakeholder assessment, large-scale engagement, community outreach, conflict resolution, and training.
- **Strategic Communications** — Communications planning, audience-centered messaging, research, policy and issue management, media relations, social media, and thought-leadership support.
- **Digital Engagement** — Virtual engagement, user-centered design, data capture and visualization, and analytics intended to broaden participation across geography and schedules.
- **Tribal Relations** — Processes supporting government-to-government collaboration, respectful dialogue, sovereignty, cultural priorities, and shared interests.

## Achievements

- Built a national practice over more than four decades while remaining privately held and woman-owned.
- Holds a GSA Multiple Award Schedule contract for professional services covering 2022-2027, with possible option periods.
- Produced the Marine Energy Environmental Toolkit under a U.S. Department of Energy award with scientific and industry collaborators.
- Conducted the stakeholder process documented in the Western Oregon State Forests Habitat Conservation Plan, beginning with agency and stakeholder interviews before open public meetings.
- Won a 2025 Bureau of Reclamation delivery order worth up to about $2.185 million for facilitation and collaborative problem-solving.
- Selected as the top-ranked bidder among eight proposals for Sonoma County's 2026 climate resiliency centers assessment and engagement contract.

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Sonoma County approved a contract of up to $324,120 for outreach, needs assessment, and feasibility work on climate resiliency centers.
- **2025-09** — The Bureau of Reclamation awarded Kearns & West a delivery order worth up to $2,184,981 for facilitation and collaborative problem-solving.
- **2025-08** — Denver Regional Council of Governments authorized negotiation of a $2.3 million building-decarbonization engagement contract, with a $1.7 million renewal option.
- **2025-06** — San Diego authorized an agreement for as-needed public outreach and engagement services.

## Links

- Website: https://kearnswest.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kearns-%26-west
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kearnswest

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/kearns-and-west
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-15