Kiara Phillips is a native Angeleno that aspires to incorporate sustainable and affordable infrastructure into South Los Angeles that does not displace current low-income residents. Her current role at T.R.U.S.T. is as the Environmental Justice Coordinator. She collaborates with multiple organizations on projects related to clean transportation, water rights, mobility justice, and green space justice among others.

While completing her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science at UCLA, Kiara participated in several efforts to create environmental justice on and off campus. As President of the student-led organization UCLA Rising Over Oppression Through Science (UCLA ROOTS), she participated in a number of research projects related to the environmental inequalities across Los Angeles County. Additionally, she served as an intern at CALPIRG, working on their End Oil Drilling Campaign. She also served as an intern with the Los Angeles Regional Collaborative (LARC) working on their Extreme Heat Campaign, bridging the gap between research and the public about the dangers of extreme heat. She also interned at the Theodore Payne Foundation, working to increase enrollment in their California Native Plant Landscaper Certificate Program. Also, Kiara was a Ronald McNair Research Scholar, where she completed a thesis on disparities in lead in drinking water within the Los Angeles Unified School District. Additionally, she received the Outstanding Service Award from the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA in 2023.

Further, Kiara is about to embark on the journey to complete a Master’s degree in Environmental Health Sciences from the Fielding School of Public Health. There, she plans to continue researching environmental disparities in Los Angeles County to create change by supporting community-based organizations and policymakers to facilitate the creation of equitable and critical environmental justice in South Los Angeles