Isella Ramirez

Isella Ramirez is currently a Project Manager with Hester Street Collaborative in New York City. Ramirez grew up in the City of Commerce; a community overburdened with industrial pollution a few miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles. For seven years she worked with East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice (EYCEJ), a community-based organization working to promote a healthy and safe environment in Commerce, East Los Angeles, and Long Beach. There she also held the role of Co-Executive Director, where she managed the organizational work-plan, and led organizing and leadership development. She is currently a board member of EYCEJ. Upon moving to the East Coast, she worked with Ironbound Community Corporation in Newark, NJ as an environmental justice program manager, where she developed an extensive leadership training program for local leaders. She is passionate about environmental justice and is interested in identifying and implementing planning practices, tools and frameworks to more effectively be an agent of change in underserved communities. She holds a B.A in Latin American & Latina(o) Studies from Vassar College and a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from UCLA's Luskin School of Public Affairs. She is also an Environmental Commissioner for the City of Newark, where she resides.