Kimi Waite’s research and professional praxis are situated at the intersections of environmental justice education, geography, critical pedagogy, and social studies. A critical qualitative researcher, and an Asian American educator-activist-scholar with over 10 years of teaching experience, Kimi collaborates with PK-12 students and teachers to co-design local action for global environmental change. She has received national and state recognition for her leadership in environmental education, social studies, and climate change education. She has an M.Ed. from UCLA and a Ph.D. in Sustainability Education from Prescott College. She is an Early Career Fellow with UCLA’s Center for Diverse Leadership in Science.
Kimi Waite will be an Assistant Professor of Child & Family Studies at Cal State LA in Fall 2023. Prior experiences include: Part-time faculty in CSU Fullerton’s Department of Elementary & Bilingual Education; TK-12 STEM curriculum specialist in Compton; and an elementary school teacher in South Los Angeles. In addition, Kimi has taught in South Korea and Guyana and is an experienced facilitator for in-service teacher professional development. Her work has been published in outlets like Grist, Ms. Magazine, The Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, San Diego Tribune, The Progressive Magazine, Cal Matters, PBS, and The Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy.