Krista began her career at D Magazine, the city magazine in Dallas, where she served as Managing Editor, Executive Director of a leadership group aimed at empowering citizens to take action, and Executive Director of a literacy nonprofit that united the city in reading together. She then served as Chief of Staff of the Coalition for a New Dallas, an advocacy group that worked to reunite communities by removing an elevated highway between two neighborhoods in Dallas. Krista then helped launch Dallas Innovates, a news site that promotes Dallas-Fort Worth as a hub of innovation. While covering the city, Krista became intrigued by the built environment. 

In 2016, she joined the Better Block, an international, urban design nonprofit that educates, equips, and empowers communities and their leaders to reshape and reactivate built environments to promote the growth of healthy and vibrant neighborhoods. 

In her six years at the Better Block, Krista has worked with neighbors in more than 75 cities to rethink streets, turn parking lots to plazas, and identify the barriers keeping communities from enjoying their public spaces. The work has resulted in economic development, calmed streets, and has lowered crime rates. But most importantly, it brings neighbors together. Krista has led study tours in Dallas, Copenhagen, and Malmo and built hundreds of digitally fabricated benches, kiosks, and survey stands. She uses social media to educate around placemaking and transportation, and she’s a pretty adequate drone operator (as long as there’s no wind). 

Krista is one of the Dallas Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 2022 and was named to DCEO’s 500 as well as named Dallas AIA and TxA Honorary Member 2022, and is on the Dallas Comprehensive Land Use Committee and a board member of Philanthropy Kids. She was on the steering committee of Big D Reads, past-president of the Dallas Architecture and Design Exchange board, former AIA Dallas Board Member, City Lab High School Foundation Advisory Council, Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy cohort for Communities Foundation of Texas, former member of the Dallas Commission on Homelessness, former TEDxSMU steering committee, and a graduate of Leadership Texas.