About Me

Dr. Kimi Waite is an Asian American social justice educator, critical qualitative education researcher, and environmental social scientist. She has received both national and state recognition for her leadership in environmental education, social studies, and climate change education. A former public school teacher, she holds certifications in Elementary Education, Educational Leadership, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, and Early Childhood Education. 

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A publicly engaged scholar, her writing has been published by news outlets such as PBS, The Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Ms. Magazine, The Progressive, The San Diego Union-Tribune, Grist, and Cal Matters, with some pieces receiving up to 65 million readers. Her work has also been published in academic journals such as The International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, and The Journal of Curriculum & Pedagogy, and is she currently co-authoring a book about teaching climate change in the K-12 classroom, under contract with Corwin Press. She has been a requested presenter for The National Education Association, Cornell University's Civic Ecology Lab, The North American Association for Environmental Education, and The National Geographic Society. 

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Dr. Kimi Waite's 10 years of teaching experience spans the P-20 system, with a focus on urban public schools and Minority Serving Institutions. She joined the Department of Child & Family Studies at California State University, Los Angeles in Fall 2023 as an Assistant Professor. Prior experiences: Lecturer at California State University, 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, she has taught in South Korea and Guyana and is an experienced facilitator for in-service teacher professional development. A lifelong global citizen and former expat, she has been to over 80 countries and all 7 continents. 

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