Karinn Cologne is the Chief Operations Officer for Imagine LA. Her primary focus is fostering a strong Imagine LA culture by providing clear and transparent policies, procedures, and objectives, engagement opportunities, health and wellness activities, and safe spaces. Through a lens of equity, diversity, and inclusion, Karinn leads the employee lifecycle from talent acquisition and onboarding to performance review and professional development. Karinn develops and implements activities and initiatives that embrace and uphold the agency’s culture of building equity together. Additionally, Karinn is a key member in managing and developing the organizational budget and finances as well as oversees office and program operations.

Karinn joined Imagine LA in 2020 as the People and Operations Director, driven by a passion of inclusiveness and community. She has always enjoyed figuring out ways to provide happy and healthy spaces where people can be themselves and thrive.

Born and raised in the Los Angeles area, Karinn headed east to Boston College for a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts and Sociology. After many years performing on stage, she discovered the administrative side interning at the Boston Ballet’s Summer Dance Program. After graduation, she moved to the Washington, D.C. area and continued to work at arts organizations including the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington National Opera, Shakespeare Theatre Company, and BalletNova Center for Dance.

Karinn’s career spans across a variety of areas including HR, Operations, Finance, Education, Development, Marketing, Programming, and Production. Some highlighted accomplishments include formalizing an intern program by securing funding to offer stipends that launched the program into an international applicant pool; spearheading engagement by launching activities that became annual traditions; and streamlining and launching new systems and opportunities for programming and events. She also continued her love for theatre and dance, volunteering, teaching, and occasionally performing, with local community theaters in different capacities.

To contact Karinn, please email karinn@imaginela.org.