Plenary: The 3 Revolutions: Perspectives from Civic and Community Partners

 As Acting Director of the Center for Regional Change, Bernadette Austin works to build bridges across disciplines and support research that is community-engaged, policy-oriented, and equity-focused. She managed the formation of the Transportation Equity and Environmental Justice Advisory Group, an advisory body dedicated to providing feedback on research conducted by the Climate Smart Transportation and Communities Consortium (C-STACC) funded by the Strategic Growth Council and led by the UC Davis Institute for Transportation Studies. Bernadette is co-lead of the Sacramento Area Chapter of the Scholars Strategy Network and a Commissioner for the West Sacramento Planning Commission. She is an active member of the California Planning Roundtable, American Planning Association, Urban Land Institute, and Lambda Alpha International. She holds a Master of Science in Community Development from UC Davis and a Bachelor of Science in Community Health from St. Mary’s College of California. 

Hana, Environmental Equity Program Manager, works on the development and implementation of policies leading to clean transportation and mobility investments that will benefit low-income communities of color. She was the lead author of the Mobility Equity Framework, a tool that can be used to maximize equity outcomes and community engagement in transportation planning and decision-making. Hana was also the lead author of Autonomous Vehicle Heaven or Hell? Creating a Transportation Revolution that Benefits All, a report outlining policy recommendations to ensure mobility, health, and economic benefits to marginalized communities. She serves on a number of advisory committees for cities, agencies, universities, and nonprofits for projects relating to shared mobility and autonomous vehicles. Hana holds a B.A. in sustainability from San Diego State University.  

With a high value towards outcomes and impact, Cynthia N. Cortez seeks to effectively impact program design, implementation, and evaluation practices of diverse programming within nonprofit, higher education, and civic engagement spaces. Cynthia leverages her expertise in data-informed learning and action using both technical tools to collect, process, and manage data as well as direct experience in managing – and participating in – projects, programs, and initiatives. At large, through her facilitation skills and information curation abilities, Cynthia promotes evaluation utilization within critical stakeholders for strategic and inclusive decision-making. Cynthia currently serves as the Associate Director for the Southeast Los Angeles (SELA) Collaborative, a network of nonprofit agencies working collectively to strengthen the southeast Los Angeles communities, build collective power, and encourage innovation to drive regional systemic change. The SELA Collaborative is currently working in partnership with USC professors Genevieve Giuliano and Marlon Boarnet on the SELA Initiative Transportation Research overseen by the Climate Smart Communities Consortium and funded by the Strategic Growth Council. Cynthia holds a MA from UCLA in Social Research Methodology with an emphasis on Evaluation Theory and a BA from UC Berkeley in Peace and Conflict Studies and Education.