Before business school, Kiersten worked as a technical project manager in the film industry where she cultivated skills in business analytics, stakeholder management and Agile development. One of her primary projects involved managing a software team in developing performance capture technology that can capture motion underwater. After four years of working in production on films such as the Avatar sequels, Alita and Wonder Woman, she decided to pivot to something more personally meaningful. Having grown up in a mountain town in Colorado, environmental sustainability has always been a cause for which she cares deeply so she came to Anderson to transition to a career in cleantech.

At Anderson, Kiersten has served on the boards of Energy Management Group, Anderson Technology Business Association and the Outdoor Adventure Club. She also served as her team’s Lead in the Patagonia Case Competition and is pursuing UCLA’s Leaders In Sustainability certificate. 

In her free time, she enjoys mountain biking, watching arthouse movies and exploring cities on foot.

Prior to Anderson, Natalie worked at J.P. Morgan in New York City as an Oversight & Control Analyst. In this position, she collaborated with senior management to implement regulatory banking requirements primarily relating to the Volcker Rule. Her primary responsibilities involved creating financial projections that informed major investment decisions, conducting in-depth research on new banking regulations and thorough reviews of legal documentation relating to the Volcker Rule. Outside of work, Natalie was very involved in the NYC Chapter of Big Brothers Big Sisters both as a mentor and through her fundraising efforts.

During her time at Anderson, Natalie has pivoted to a Real Estate track with a specific focus on Affordable Housing. In the first-year of her MBA, she has been most involved with the Anderson Real Estate Association (AREA) and Challenge for Charity (C4C). Natalie holds leadership positions in these clubs as well as Energy Management Group (EMG) and the Black Business Students Association (BBSA). Recently, Natalie was named as one of four 2019- 2020 Howard and Irene Levine Affordable Housing Fellows.

Prior to Anderson, Leana worked in the education, technology and healthcare sectors where she developed strong interpersonal, leadership and project management skills. Most recently, she served as a consultant for Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, where she led projects designing and deploying emerging technologies including sending diabetic patient’s home glucose readings to endocrinologists and launching an educational and concierge service app for admitted hospital patients. In that role, she worked with senior hospital leadership to create a strategic plan to shape telehealth strategy.

Leana has always valued social impact and cross-cultural connections both personally and professionally. At Rush, Leana led efforts to expand access to online tools to underserved and vulnerable populations including at-risk adolescents and Spanish. She worked and volunteered as an English teacher in France and Spain.

During her time at Anderson, Leana has pursued her interest in harnessing technological innovation for social impact. In the first-year of her MBA, she served on the boards of the Entrepreneur’s Association (EA) and UCLA Anderson’s Net Impact chapter. In these positions, Leana worked to build student and community relationships through an educational dinner series and a conference. She currently holds leadership positions in the Energy Management Group, Women’s Business Connection and Healthcare Business Association. 

Robby began his career in management consulting with Oliver Wyman. There he was fortunate to create strategies for clients looking to solve complex problems across the investment banking, aviation and energy sectors. Most recently, Robby worked at Facebook in Operations where he managed and scaled vendor teams both domestically and internationally. Most notably, Robby spent over two years managing the partnership and operations of a 50+ team in Hyderabad, India and led the launch of three outsourcing sites around the globe. In addition, Robby gained extensive cross-functional leadership experience regularly working with product engineers, running analysis and developing support strategies for new products on Facebook and Instagram.

Robby is passionate about building meaningful partnerships to create sustainable impact. With Facebook, Robby worked with product, policy, and engineering teams to optimize and automate processes for reviewing and removing abusive content across platforms. Outside of work, Robby has worked with local businesses to organize events that have ultimately raised over $100,000 for sustainable, impact- driven organizations.

During his time at Anderson, Robby has continued pursuing opportunities at the intersection of partnerships and impact. In the first-year of his MBA, he served on the boards of the Anderson Real Estate Association and the Energy Management Group. In these positions, Robby has worked to develop resources and potential curriculums for incoming students interested in impact through the real estate industry.

Regina is an ESE alum who holds a BSc in Human Anatomy from the University of Portharcourt, Nigeria and a Master’s in Public Health (MPH) from the University of Illinois, Springfield. While acquiring her MPH degree, she worked with the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) as part of the Tobacco Control Program team where she was charged with monitoring the trends of tobacco use and she assisted in developing policies to reduce the use of tobacco across the State. Additionally, she worked with a group of three other students under the supervision of the Illinois Public Health Association (IPHA) to design a suitable program, using the Health Belief Model to create breast cancer awareness among African Immigrants in Illinois.

Prior to arriving to the United States, she worked in under served communities in Nigeria teaching basic sciences and participated in community development projects. She is passionate about creating solutions that sustain the environment and improves public health.

Zeeshan Parvez (he/him) is a Ph.D. candidate in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department at UCLA focusing on materials chemistry. As a Tillman Scholar and an active member of the veteran’s community –  both internally and externally to UCLA –  he strongly advocates for veterans’ rights, representation, and support.

He served in the United States Marine Corps with the Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC) as a critical skills operator, now known as the “Marine Raiders.” He deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), with a mission focus on unconventional warfare and foreign internal defense. Through these experiences, Zeeshan found a sense of purpose to pursue higher education with a focus on providing new technology and training to increase the survivability of our military forces.

His current research focuses on organometallic materials and next-generation armor for military and law enforcement applications. He holds a bachelor’s in chemical engineering, a master’s in energetic chemistry, a master’s in business administration; and was awarded the Joint Service Achievement, and Navy Achievement Medal while serving in the Marine Corps.

Maggie is a ESE alum. She received her MPH in Environmental Health Sciences with a certificate in Leaders in Sustainability from UCLA, and her B.S. in Environmental Toxicology and minor in Human Physiology from UC Davis. Currently, Maggie is a Senior Air Quality Consultant at Ramboll working on a variety of air quality projects. Her academic and professional interests include air pollution and public health, air quality sensors, and the intersection between science and policy. Outside of UCLA, Maggie enjoys spending time with friends and family, traveling, exercising, hiking, reading, cooking, trying new hobbies, and exploring all the food that Southern California has to offer.

Viraj’s dissertation focus is particulate matter air pollution with the aim of critically understanding the evolution of science that informs policies in the United States. His previous research includes diverse applied policy projects such as the state of global air quality data, environmental and economic benefits of electric vehicles for ride-sharing applications, electric bus transition pathway to address environmental justice concerns, climate change & technology transfer.

Viraj has been Senior Practicum Advisor for three years mentoring students for research projects that use life-cycle assessment to measure environmental footprint of various practices in the film & media production industry. He has also been teaching associate or fellow for several environmental science undergraduate classes including introduction to environment, life-cycle assessment, water management, sustainability for food, and energy economics and development.

Viraj has prior work experience in the policy research and development sector in India and corporate experience in energy markets in the United States. He holds a Masters in Energy Economics from Rice University and bachelor’s in Metallurgical Engineering and Material Sciences from IIT Bombay.

Kelly Clark is passionate about creating sustainable solutions to environmental challenges.  She is currently a Staff Attorney at Los Angeles Waterkeeper where she leads the Industrial Stormwater Enforcement campaign and advocates for sustainable use of Los Angeles’ water resources. Kelly is joining the IoES ESE program to better equip herself to promote technical solutions to the environmental challenges we face.

Prior to joining LA Waterkeeper, Kelly represented clients in all areas of litigation in both state and federal courts. After law school, she clerked for the Honorable David Ezra in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas and was admitted to the Massachusetts and California bars.  Kelly possesses an undergraduate degree from Princeton University in Astrophysics, and a Master of Science from UCLA in Astronomy. She holds a Juris Doctorate from Cornell University.

Dani Hoague is a sixth-year graduate student at UCLA, specializing in Environmental Justice. Her research and activism focus on reducing toxic lead exposure in drinking water in Watts, Los Angeles. Growing up in Altadena, CA, Dani experienced firsthand the impacts of environmental injustice due to toxic water contamination, fueling her commitment to addressing systemic inequities in underserved communities.

For Dani, the most crucial aspect of community-driven environmental justice is collective organizing and action. She believes diversity in STEM is essential for building trust and fostering meaningful relationships in minority communities, ensuring that people see advocates who reflect their lived experiences.

Beyond her academic and advocacy work, Dani finds healing and connection through crochet. She hosts “Crochet Corners” in Watts and Altadena, creating meditative spaces that honor ancestral healing practices for communities of color. As a third-generation Altadena/Pasadena “Dena” resident, she is deeply committed to the empowerment of her Black community. Dani aspires to continue her work in reducing toxic exposure in Watts and advocating for environmental justice in Los Angeles.