Pherabe Kolb is the Aspen Institute’s Vice President of Operational Effectiveness & Enterprise Risk Management and devises strategic and proactive approaches to managing risks and improving Institute operations to drive mission success. In 2019 she led the first-ever enterprise risk assessment of the Institute and is executing a multi-year strategy to target mitigation of risk in critical mission functions, improve training and policies, and build a risk-aware culture across the organization. She also leads cross-Institute projects and initiatives to improve the quality and efficiency of operational functions. Her risk management role includes safety and security planning for all Institute activities, including major public events, and serving as chair of the Crisis Management Leadership Team. She also oversees the Workplace Services Department which provides office support, conference services, and real estate management for the Washington, DC, and New York, NY, offices.
Pherabe joined the Institute in November 2015 as the Managing Director of Communications & Public Affairs where she oversaw websites and digital content, social media, video production, press outreach, graphic design, print publications and audio/visual services. In this role she oversaw a team of 23, setting overall strategy and messaging objectives, and leading the delivery of communications services for all Institute programs and major public events, including the Aspen Ideas Festival.
Pherabe came to the Institute from the Smithsonian Institution, where she spent 13 years in central leadership positions across multiple functional areas, serving in government relations, financial and administrative management, brand strategy and marketing, and internal communications. She earned a B.A. in History from Dartmouth College where she graduated Cum Laude with High Honors, and holds a J.D. from the Northwestern University School of Law where she was the Coordinating Articles Editor of the Northwestern University Law Review. She is admitted to the Bar in the District of Columbia and Maryland.