As an Executive Committee, we are writing to share the bittersweet news that Executive Director Kelley Lê ’s last day with ECCLPs is January 20, 2025. Since joining ECCLPs in 2020 and being named Executive Director in 2022, Kelley has been instrumental in working with our committees, staff, and partners to launch this project. Over the past few years, ECCLPs has successfully built a network of colleagues across the University of California and California State University campuses who are working with schools and community partners to improve environmental and climate change literacy for young people. During this time, Kelley has worked with ECCLPs to carry out numerous projects, including the development of an interdisciplinary and intersectional framework for climate and environmental education, partnership with Subject to Climate on launching the Teaching and Learning Resources Hub, and establishing the first UC-CSU Research Internship for over 120 Undergraduate and Graduate students to advance knowledge and action across the state. We are very grateful for all that Kelley has contributed to ECCLPs and know we will be able to continue to partner with her when she begins her new position as Executive Director of Grades of Green.

 

Although saddened by Kelley’s departure, we are very excited about ECCLPs future. In the months ahead, ECCLPs’ executive committee will work to determine the most appropriate administrative structure for the project that will best allow us to build on the network we created, our accomplishments, and the arrival at University of California Irvine of Stacey Nicholas Endowed Chair Associate Professor Asli Sezen-Barrie to serve as faculty advisor to the project. In the interim, Jennifer Cao will provide administrative support in her role as special project coordinator.

 

We look forward to continuing to work with you and providing updates in the months ahead as we build on our project’s momentum.

 

Richard Arum, UCI

Karen Cowe, Ten Strands

Claudia Martinez, UCOP

Asli Sezen-Barrie, UCI

Jeff Share, UCLA

Fred Uy, CSUCO

Tamara Wallace, CSUCO

Christine Whitcraft, CSU Long Beach

Dear ECCLPs Community and Friends,

I write to you with a heavy heart as Southern California continues to face the devastating impact of wildfires. Our thoughts are with all those whose lives and communities have been profoundly affected by this tragedy. In times like these, our collective work feels more urgent and meaningful than ever.

As the Stacey Nicholas Endowed Chair Professor of Environmental and Climate Change Education and Faculty Advisor of ECCLPs, I am honored to share reflections on my first six months in this role. It has been a privilege to witness and contribute to ECCLPs’ mission of harnessing the transformative role of education to address the defining environmental challenges of our time due to the rapidly changing climate.

In these early months, I have been deeply inspired by the dedication of ECCLPs' leadership, committee members, and our broader community. They have advanced our initiatives and launched impactful projects shaped by the aspirations and needs of youth and their communities. I am grateful to Dr. Kelley Lê , our visionary Executive Director, and Dr. Jennifer Cao , our dedicated Special Projects Coordinator, whose leadership and commitment have been vital to our progress. Next week,Kelley Lê , who has been with ECCLPs since its relaunch in 2022, will transition to a new position as Executive Director of Grades of Green. We celebrate Kelley’s continued dedication to empowering students to lead environmental change and are excited about future opportunities to collaborate with her and the Grades of Green. During this transition, we appreciate Jennifer Cao’s support to continue ECCLPs’ ongoing tasks.

Looking ahead, ECCLPs is embarking on a strategic planning process to strengthen our collaboration with teacher education programs, educators, learners, families, and community partners. By working with researchers and educators across the UC and CSU systems and employing a participatory research approach, we aim to create a model that leverages educational institutions as catalysts for adapting to, mitigating, and addressing the environmental challenges of our rapidly changing climate. Together, we will explore how ECCLPs’ resources and frameworks can be scaled statewide, nationally, and beyond.

Thank you for your ongoing support and commitment to ECCLPs. Together, we will continue to empower communities, amplify youth voices, and advance the transformative changes needed to create a thriving future.

 

Kind regards,

Asli Sezen-Barrie

Stacey Nicholas Endowed Chair Professor of Environmental and Climate Change, UCI

Education Faculty Advisor, ECCLPs

Dear ECCLPs Network ,

As we embark on this new year, we are pleased to reintroduce our ECCLPs team. Special Project Coordinator, Dr. Jennifer Cao, brings over a decade of experience in the educational field includingadvancing climate literacy and fostering transformative, equitable education. Supporting her are our program assistants: Andrea Tolentino, a Social Ecology student passionate about creativity and sustainability; Ben Chea, a Public Policy master’s student dedicated to environmental literacy and higher education access; and Jessica Sofian, a Conservation and Restoration Science master’s student working to bridge scientific research and public knowledge. Together, we are committed to empowering educators, students, and communities to build a sustainable and equitable future. We look forward to continuing this journey with you!

With gratitude,

ECCLPs Operations Team

Please use the comment button below to provide your suggestions, comments, or questions for the ECCLPs team. Your input is valuable to us and we appreciate opportunities to connect.