About Me

Dr. Kimi Waite is an Asian American social justice educator, and an environmental education researcher. 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.

A publicly engaged scholar, Dr. Kimi Waite's 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 "viral" pieces receiving up to 65 million readers. Her work has also been published in academic journals, and she is a co-author of What Teachers Want to Know About Teaching Climate Change: An Educator's Guide To Nurturing Hope (K-12), published by 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. Since 2019, she has been a steering committee member for California’s statewide climate change initiative, the Environmental and Climate Change Literacy Projects (ECCLPS).

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.

Awards & Fellowships

Awards:

2024 Faculty Grant Writing Support Award:

The California State University Desert Studies Center

National Geographic Explorer:

2022 National Geographic Society grant awardee

Mentor Award:

For outstanding mentorship and dedication to the North American Association for Environmental Education Civics Environmental Education Fellowship

2021 Outstanding Elementary Social Studies Educator of the Year:

California Council for the Social Studies

2019 Environmental Education 30 Under 30:

The North American Association for Environmental Education & USDA Forest Service

Fellowships:

Early Career Fellow, Researcher (2023-Present):

UCLA Center for Diverse Leadership in Science, Institute of the Environment & Sustainability

Early Career Fellow, (2020-2023):

UCLA Center for Diverse Leadership in Science, Institute of the Environment & Sustainability

Public Voices Fellow on the Climate Crisis:

The OpEd Project & The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication

Civics Environmental Education Fellow:

The North American Association for Environmental Education, US EPA & Cedar Tree Foundation

Teaching & Research

Research Interests:

Environmental Justice and Climate Justice Curriculum & Pedagogy
Environmental Civic Learning
Critical Environmental Education
Zines and Radical Pedagogy

Research Funders:

The National Geographic Society
The North American Association for Environmental Education, The Cedar Tree Foundation, and the US EPA
New York Botanical Garden
The California State University Desert Studies Center

Teaching Interests:

Social Foundations of Education
Environmental Justice & Climate Justice Pedagogy
Teacher Preparation: Multiple Subject Credential Candidates
In-Service Teacher Professional Development

Curriculum & Pedagogy Approaches:

Teaching for Social Justice and Equity
Experiential Learning
Community-Engaged Teaching and Learning
Community Safety, Health, & Wellbeing
Interdisciplinary Project Based Learning
21st Century Learning