About the Project
Project Goals and Funder
Our objective in thoughtful community engagement that considers the range of views on economic, social, and environmental topics related to decarbonization strategies in Kern County.
The project is conducted in RAND’s Education, Employment, and Infrastructure Division. In addition, this research taps local knowledge and stakeholder expertise from the Pardee Center for Longer Range Global Policy and the Future Human Condition.
This project is funded by the ClimateWorks Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to end the climate crisis by amplifying the power of philanthropy.
Our Team
This project is brought to you by a team of researchers from RAND, a nonpartisan institution dedicated to improving policy and decision-making through research and analysis.
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Robert J. Lempert
Principal Researcher; Professor of Policy Analysis, RAND School of Public Policy
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Alexandra Mendoza-Graf
Associate Policy Researcher
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Alexandra Ntazinda
Ph.D. Candidate, RAND School of Public Policy; Assistant Policy Researcher, RAND
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Zara Fatima Abdurahaman
Ph.D. Student, RAND School; Assistant Policy Researcher, RAND
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Tim McDonald
Associate Policy Researcher; Co-Director, Systems Transitions Applied Research (STAR) Initiative
Local Advisory Board
To advise the project, we included a range of community members who could speak to varying dimensions of Kern County’s changing energy sector, such as protecting health and the local environment, new technologies, and community health and well-being. These local experts helped us select and screen the educational materials on this website, ensuring that high quality, scientifically rigorous, and relevant information is available.
As of January 2024, the local advisory board includes the following members:
- Brianda Castro, Central California Asthma Collaborative
- Arianne M. Chow-Garcia, Native American Advocate, Consultant, and "Bee Kind" owner
- Zav Dadabhoy, California Renewable Energy Laboratory (CREL)
- Eric Dhanens, Cornerstone Engineering
- Maggie Field, Clean Air Task Force
- Troy Hightower, THD International LLC
- Lora Larkin, California Renewable Energy Laboratory (CREL)
- Traco Matthews, Kern Health Systems
- Nyakundi Michieka, California State University, Bakersfield
- Linda Parker, Linda Parker Consulting, Inc.
- Emily Pope, Blue Engine
- Blair Pruett, Cal Microgrids
- Pritika Ram, Community Action Partnership of Kern
- Anthony Rathburn, California State University, Bakersfield
- Alissa Reed, Kern, Inyo & Mono Counties Building & Construction Trades Council
- Justin Salters, B3K Prosperity
- Sara Sullivan, California Renewable Energy Laboratory (CREL)
This group of community experts meets with project leaders, attends deliberative conversations, and provides input to the project. The advisory board generated the resources for Kern’s changing energy sector.