Alexandria’s research interests lie at the intersection of climate change, justice, and inequality in America’s urban areas. She also has an interest in environmental narrative and communication. Previously, she received her MSc from Oxford in Environmental Change and Management, and her BA from Princeton in Biology. She is a 2019-2020 INFEWS fellow (Innovation at the Nexus of Food, Energy, and Water Systems). Her writing has appeared in Grist, Salon, KCET, and elsewhere.

Robert Reny started his education in Northern Arizona University studying environmental engineering without a very strong sense of what he was passionate about or most interested in. As he learned about environmental problems and their impacts on people and the planet, he became more interested in the broader health implications of environmental issues. This led him to the environmental health science masters’ program at UCLA. During his masters he interned at Orange County Water District and spent time lending his nose in Mel Suffet’s laboratory because, maybe unsurprisingly, the nose is better than anything else for smell detection.

After graduating he went and worked at the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board as a site cleanup engineer investigating parties potentially responsible for the groundwater contamination throughout Los Angeles. Although this work was meaningful it was not exactly what he was most interested in on a day-to-day basis. Suffet encouraged Robert to apply to the environmental science and engineering program, a professional UCLA doctoral program with two-years on campus followed by a long-term residency. He hadn’t originally planned to do more school after a masters but ultimately found the choice to be the correct one. The skills he acquired helped him get hired at the Metropolitan Water District where he now gets to work on applied research projects directly related to climate change and Southern California’s water challenges.

CeCe Hendriks (she/hers) is a former actress, turned socialite and is also the proud owner of Spoiled! which is located on the infamous Melrose Ave in Los Angeles. Spoiled! is a consignment store of exclusive name brands for children.  She also is a child advocate and heads the Entrepreneurial Program of Jenesse Center. Furthermore, CeCe is a committee member of the Entertainment Committee of Freedom4Youth in Santa Barbara. She has been awarded several times from the City of Inglewood and Santa Barbara by the California Legislature Assembly for her diligence in helping and restoring confidence in our youth. She also is a public speaker in which she speaks to the youth about today’s business world, fashion and natural climate.

She has been featured on Bravo’s “Relative Success” with Tabatha Coffey and graced many articles from Ebony and Jet as well as the Los Angeles Business Journal and Houston Chronicle and many more. 

CeCe also just started The Get Spoiled Foundation to inspire and educate foster and adoptive children through entertainment and sports. 

Leonard Washington III is a senior studying Geography Environmental Studies with a Minor in Entrepreneurship. He has a passion for work at the intersection between sports, race, and sustainability. With hopes of eventually working in this new field, Leonard previously worked as an intern for IMPACT Internship and as a brand research intern for Evoke Inc., a Black-owned branding agency. He has also previously worked for Innovative Partnerships Group 360 as a capstone project lead, creating a competitive analysis and go-to-market strategy for sponsorship valuation technology. He also previously worked on an independent literature review on measuring equity in sports apparel supply chains, and his abstract was nominated for the Dean’s Prize for Research in Social Sciences and Humanities in 2019.

Outside of class, you can find Leonard at your local gym playing pickup basketball or working out, traversing throughout the city of Los Angeles taking pictures, playing pool at a local billiards hall, or spending time at the swimming pool or the beach.

Kecia Washington (she/her) is the Director of Innovation at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) where she identifies and develops new strategies, business opportunities, and technologies that can lead to innovation and consequently growth within LADWP and the greater Los Angeles area. She builds strong relationships with industry experts and customers which include over four million residents. Kecia holds a bachelor’s degree in history from UC Berkeley and a law degree from UCLA. Her education coupled with her determination and passion have led her to a prosperous career. Kecia has worked for the Metropolitan Transit Agency in Los Angeles, The Gas Co., Sempra Energy, and the Orange County Transportation Authority. She worked for the LADWP before moving to city hall in the Office of Economic and Business Policy under Deputy Mayor Austin Beutner.

Monic Uriarte (she/her) is a community organizer and health promoter with Esperanza Community Housing Corporation, a social justice non-profit organization in South Los Angeles that aims to develop and preserve affordable housing, elevate health equity and access to care, mobilize for environmental justice, create and protect local economic opportunities, expand engagement in arts and culture, and advocate for policies protecting human rights. She is a co-founder of People Not Pozos (People Not Wells) a grassroots campaign demanding that AllenCO Energy stop the operation of toxic emissions which caused negative health impacts to community members. AllenCo Energy closed temporarily in November 2013 after years of community efforts. Monic works with STAND LA to establish a city-wide ordinance to create a health and safety buffer between oil drilling and sensitive land. 

Earl Tulley (he/him) is a child-of-the-people, born in a hogan in Blue Gap, Arizona. He is currently raising his beautiful family on the Navajo Nation. He strives to create connections with the beautiful past and a bridge to an even more beautiful future. For the past 20 years, he has been lifting up his voice on behalf of the people so that their voice may be heard. 

At Netroots Nation in 2015, Earl moderated two panels, “Networking with Indigenous Communities” and “Black Mess on Black Mesa.” 

Belinda Tucker (she/her) is Professor Emerita of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, and the Special Liaison for Faculty Development at UCLA. She trained as a social psychologist and survey researcher at the University of Michigan. Belinda served as Acting Director of the Center for Afro- American Studies, as Associate Dean in the Graduate Division, and as the inaugural Vice Provost of UCLA’s Institute of American Cultures where she oversaw the operations of the ethnic studies research centers. She played a significant leadership role in the development of critical campus-wide initiatives (now studied nationwide) to enhance the climate for diversity. Belinda was the National Director of the Family Research Consortium IV, a collaborative network of scholars focused on family mental health, and its affiliated postdoctoral fellowship training program, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Kendall Moore (she/her) is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and a Professor in the departments of Journalism and Film Media. Before joining the faculty at the University of Rhode Island in 2003, she worked as a television journalist focusing on medical, health, race, and environmental issues. Kendall has produced numerous independent documentaries that have aired on PBS and in various film festivals. She has received several grants and awards for her work including Fulbright Scholar Awards, the Rhode Island Film Fellowship for Outstanding Filmmaking, and, the Metcalf Award. She was commended by Crain’s Magazine as a Professor of Merit in the field of journalism. Kendall serves on the boards of The Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting as well as The Story Board at Salve Regina University. She enjoys mentoring women of color interested in documentary film production. 

Jasper Modha (they/them) is an undergraduate student at UCLA majoring in Geography/Environmental Studies, with a minor in Literature and the Environment. They are a fellow of the center. 

Jasper currently works on a research project analyzing eDNA to study how planting seagrass can mitigate the effects of ocean acidification. They are also a writer and editor with the Center’s student-run publication, Climate Currents, and they hope to support the production of diverse educational content.