Kadidia Thiero
Project Policy Analyst III
CDLS
Mon-Thurs: La Kretz Hall, Suite 300, Los Angeles, CA 90095
Fridays: The Trust Building DTLA, #700 (or WFH)
Pronouns: ella/her/she
Kadidia Thiero is a Policy Project Analyst at the UCLA Center for Diverse Leadership in Science (CDLS). After contributing remotely from Colorado, Kadidia recently relocated to Los Angeles to join the team full-time. Originally from Washington, DC, she is a proud graduate of Howard University and has served as both adjunct faculty and staff at her alma mater.
Before joining CDLS, Kadidia served as the Principal Investigator and Program Lead for the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science (NSF SOARS®) Program at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). NSF SOARS is a nationally recognized research experience model for mentoring and supporting systematically marginalized students in the Earth System Sciences to succeed in graduate programs and STEM careers.
Prior to her role with NSF SOARS, Kadidia served as Outreach Administrator for the Cooperative Science Center, NOAA Center for Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology (NCAS-M) at Howard University. There, she oversaw K–12 outreach, the Undergraduate Summer Internship Program (USIP), and a national high school weather camp network; while supporting student research, community engagement, and mentoring across NCAS-M’s 12 partner institutions.
In addition to her programmatic work, Kadidia has held academic roles, including Adjunct Professor at the University of the District of Columbia Community College, where she taught Freshman Seminar and Introductory Spanish. She also served as Community Liaison at The Education Trust, where she led community engagement efforts and developed bilingual advocacy tools for public education access and equity.
Kadidia holds a B.A. in Spanish Language and Literature from Howard University, and a M.A. in Latin American Studies from the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.
Kadidia is based on UCLA’s main campus, La Kretz Hall, Suite #300; Mondays through Thursdays. The Trust Building, UCLA Downtown at CDLS’ space on Fridays.
Please contact Kadidia via email: kvthiero@g.ucla.edu.