Her Story
About Khara
Khara Dodds, AICP, is a local government consulting and community planning professional specializing in facilitation, strategic planning, organizational excellence, equitable development, and community engagement. Her career in planning and public service began in 2003 while studying Urban Studies and Africana Studies as an undergraduate, a foundation that led her to pursue a graduate degree in Urban and Regional Planning. Early in her career, she joined the State of New Jersey Office of Smart Growth, where she supported communities across the state in planning and development initiatives, gaining hands-on experience in state-level planning policy and intergovernmental coordination.
She later relocated to Connecticut, where she advanced through increasingly senior roles, ultimately serving as a department director for a small municipality. In that role, she transitioned from principal planner responsibilities into executive leadership, overseeing planning and community development functions in an environment shaped by new regulatory frameworks, operational expectations, and state requirements. This period marked a significant professional growth phase, strengthening her adaptability, leadership capacity, and understanding of how local government systems function under different governance structures. She went on to serve as Director of Development Services in Texas, leading planning, building inspection, and related divisions.
For the past four years, Khara has served as a Manager and Senior Consultant with BerryDunn — Assurance, Tax and Consulting, where she oversees project management responsibilities across client engagements, guides team workflows, and supports the development of high-quality deliverables for local government organizations. Her work includes mentoring staff, reviewing projects, facilitating stakeholder meetings, and leading community engagement efforts to help municipalities identify practical solutions to complex operational and process challenges. Across her career, what she values most is not a single achievement, but the opportunity to develop and support people helping colleagues, clients, and emerging professionals grow into their strengths, build confidence, and find purpose in their work.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Khara
01What do you attribute your success to?
First, I would say faith God. I think life is a gift, each day is a gift, and He has given us all gifts. Those gifts are for us to give to the world around us, not to hold within ourselves. He's given me these gifts and talents, and what am I going to do with it every single day? It is what I need to do in order to give back to the life He has given me. And oh my goodness, my parents. They are hardworking and they've always been that way. They have given so much for me to be able to succeed in life. I have watched them work two jobs at one point, both of them, to make sure I got through school. It's because of them I don't have a whole lot of college debt coming out. They have instilled in me the value of hard work, of doing the best you can. They also are people that always try to help others, and I feel like that's why I'm also that way.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I had a mentor back in New Jersey when I held my first position, and I feel like he didn't necessarily use these specific words, but I think he encouraged me to find what I was passionate about and find my purpose. And I will say that is what I have done in my life, and that is what I would encourage others to do. What excites you? What are you passionate about? Because when you find that, sometimes the work you do doesn't even feel like work. I mean, sometimes it does, but when you find that, you have that joy in what you do. And it makes the work you do so much better when you feel like you're going with the grain and not against the grain.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
One, it would go back to purpose. What is your purpose? What are your gifts? And make sure you don't bury those gifts. Let those gifts shine. Use those gifts to give to the world around you. And I would say in general, don't - always let your light shine. Don't let fear or anything else cause you to dim your light. We were all placed here to help build a life and build communities in one way or the other. So don't hold back, let your light shine. As women, we have to speak. We have to speak up, speak out. Make sure you share your ideas. Use your voice. Definitely use your voice, share your ideas, share your talents, and share your gifts with the world, and use your ability to help to also empower others. And two, don't compromise your integrity. Whatever you do, stand on ethics and stand on integrity. And I would also say, find community. One, find a mentor, and find community around you. Make connections with people, have a village that you can go to for advice, for support, and then also, one day, be part of someone else's village. Be a mentor to someone else as well.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is that we work with local government organizations, and I feel like some of the biggest challenges we are seeing are - we live in a world that is quickly growing and changing, and technology is growing, communities are growing. We work with communities where their population is growing very fast, and I think some of the challenges that we are seeing is just trying to help organizations and their policies and processes and technology keep pace with that change, and also prepare for what's next. So communities are now having to adapt to this fast-changing world and the fast changes that are happening where they live, but then also preparing for the what's next is also something that we're trying to help local governments with as well. AI is so fascinating - it can do so many things, and I think local governments are also trying to find their space and their way through that as well, and that falls under the technology piece.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
In work, I would say doing the best you can every day, and that's also what I encourage my kids to do. Just do the best you can. Try to live each day better than the last. It doesn't mean that you will always get it perfect, and you will always get it right, and that's okay. But just do the best you can. I will say also just gratitude, definitely gratitude. Just being grateful, because there's always something to be grateful for. Even on your worst day, you can say you still lived that day. And I would say just trying to also find what you can to give back and to help others. What can you do to help others? Because we can all live in this world just to help ourselves, which we have a lot of that, and maybe too much of that. But what can you do to also give back and to help others every day? In my personal life, my husband and I have this value circle that we have created, and it's the four or five F's. It's family, faith, fun, finances. And I would say integrity, being truthful to yourself. Being truthful in the work that you do. Work with a level of ethics - work ethically. Because you have yourself to look in the mirror every day.
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