Dr. Simone Pulver
Faculty Co-Director
Dr. Simone Pulver is an Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and the current Chair of the UCSB Environmental Studies Program. Her research investigates patterns in the environmental impact of organizations, what drives those patterns, and how those drivers might be transformed. She has led US National Science Foundation research projects analyzing schools’ roles in neighborhood climate adaptation, toxic pollution in American manufacturing, low carbon investments by firms in Brazil and India, oil industry responses to climate change, and climate politics in Mexico. Her interdisciplinary research integrates perspectives from organizational theory, environmental and economic sociology, and global governance.
Dr. Pulver is also a dedicated teacher, focused on creating immersive and applied learning opportunities for undergraduate students. She is the Faculty Director of the Greti U. Croft Center for Undergraduate Environmental Leadership (CUEL) and the Faculty Co-Director of the Yardi Scholars for Environmental Justice program. Dr. Pulver holds graduate degrees in Sociology and Energy and Resources from the University of California, Berkeley and an undergraduate degree in Physics from Princeton University.
Dr. Linda Adler-Kassner
Faculty Co-Director
Dr. Linda Adler-Kassner is Professor of Writing Studies and Associate Vice Chancellor for Teaching and Learning at University of California Santa Barbara. A writing teacher for more than 35 years, she has taught undergraduate courses like first year writing (aka freshman composition) and writing and civic engagement and graduate courses on writing program leadership, writing theory, and assessment; she was awarded the UCSB Distinguished Teaching Award in 2015.
Her research focuses on how people and institutions define and enact ideas associated with “good learning” via policy, practice, and infrastructure. She works extensively with faculty and institutions around the U.S. and internationally on designing more equitable, just, and inclusive learning. She is author, co-author, or co-editor of twelve books and more than 60 article and book chapters and has led multiple grant-funded initiatives at UCSB.
She is the Co-Director of the Yardi Scholars for Environmental Justice Program and Director of the Arnhold Innovative Teaching and Learning Initiative (in Arts and Humanities) at UCSB. She has also held multiple leadership positions at UCSB — Director of the Writing Program, interim Co-Dean of the Division of Undergraduate Education among them. She is also past chair of the Conference on College Composition and Communication and Past President of the Council of Writing Program Administrators.
Gabby Gutierrez-Serrano
Executive Director
Gabby Gutierrez-Serrano is the Executive Director of the Yardi Scholars for Environmental Justice Program, where she teaches specialized Yardi EJ courses, provides comprehensive mentorship and academic guidance to scholars, and oversees all program activities.
A proud first-generation college graduate and UC Santa Barbara alumna, she holds a B.A. in Chicano/a Studies with a minor in Educational Studies, an M.A. in Education, and will receive her Ph.D. in Education later this year. Her research focuses on factors motivating Latiné first-generation college students to persist in degree completion, especially in STEM fields.
Before joining the Yardi Scholars Program, she served as the Program Director of the Promoting Opportunity and Equity in Learning (PROPEL) Program in the Division of Social Sciences and Program Coordinator for the Promise Scholars Program, both at UC Santa Barbara. In these roles, she provided high-touch advising and wraparound support to students predominantly from low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented backgrounds. Through these comprehensive approaches, she supported students from their time entering the university, helping them navigate all aspects of university life, including financial aid, academic advising, course selection, undergraduate research and internship opportunities, and post-graduation readiness.