Chelsea Kulhanek

Chelsea is a seasoned expert in real estate and infrastructure development with a proven ability to identify, secure, and optimize high-value sites for digital expansion. With over 12 years of experience in site selection, land acquisition, and large-scale development, she plays a critical role in shaping Crane’s long-term growth strategy. As Head of Site Acquisition and Development, Chelsea leads site selection efforts in key markets, builds relationships with economic development agencies and brokers, and ensures that Crane’s land acquisition strategy aligns with the evolving needs of the industry.

Before joining Crane, Chelsea spent five years at Google as part of the Energy and Location Strategy team, where she helped negotiate and manage over $5 billion in acquisition and infrastructure projects. She played a key role in shaping Google’s global approach to site selection and land development, creating standardized tools and guidance for teams across multiple regions. She also worked closely with Google’s Public Affairs and Economic Development teams to establish a unified approach to external engagement throughout the data center acquisition and development process. In partnership with Google’s legal team, she published universal confidentiality guidance for the entire Google Data Centers organization.

Chelsea also gained extensive experience in planning and development while working on Google’s Supply Planning team, where she co-authored the Google Data Centers’ Build and Development Plan—the company’s governing document that determines where and when new data centers are built. In addition, she taught Google’s “Fundamentals of Negotiation” course to over 200 employees, including customized sessions for women in tech and sales professionals. Earlier in her career, she worked with The Harvest Fund Africa, helping draft key organizational documents such as the Fund’s memorandum of understanding with the Zambian Ministry of Agriculture and its investment policy for equity fund management.

Chelsea holds a JD and a master’s degree in real estate development and finance.