Rian Watt

Rian Watt (he/him) is the Strategy Lead for International Large-Scale Change at Community Solutions, an organization that's helped 14 communities in the United States (and four in Canada) reach a durable, measurable end to homelessness for a population. At CS, Watt leads a team working to build similar movements to end homelessness across Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, and the United Kingdom.

Prior to joining CS, Watt led research, technical assistance, & evaluation projects for federal, state, and philanthropic clients at Abt Associates, a national research and evaluation firm, with a focus on housing, homelessness, and anti-poverty efforts. Prior to Abt, Watt worked for Deloitte Consulting's federal organizational transformation practice out of Washington, DC.

In Seattle, where Watt rents with his wife and two cats, he serves as the part-time Executive Director of The Urbanist, a local advocacy journalism organization whose mission is to examine and influence urban policy in the Puget Sound region to deliver abundant housing, safe streets, ubiquitous rapid transit, and a strong, just, decarbonized economy. Watt also serves on the boards of Futurewise, a statewide land use organization, and the Third Door Coalition, which advocates for permanent supportive housing in King County.

In a prior life, Watt worked as a freelance sportswriter, covering the Mariners, the Red Sox, the Cubs, and national baseball as a member of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. In this role, he had regular bylines at The Athletic, Baseball Prospectus, Chicago magazine, FanGraphs, FiveThirtyEight, The Ringer, the Sporting News, and VICE Sports. He is sorry about the Mariners.