Marisol Becerra
Public Administration
About
Marisol Becerra is a Bridge to the Faculty Postdoctoral Research Associate in Public Administration and Policy at the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs (CUPPA). She obtained her PhD in Environmental Social Sciences at The Ohio State University (Aug2020), MS in Environmental Policy & Planning from the University of Michigan, and BA in Public Policy Studies from DePaul University. Marisol’s research covers the underexplored intersection of poverty, race, and environment in brownfield policy from its inception into its implementation. This is reflected in her empirical research “Examining the complexities of increasing park access in two Latinx neighborhoods” published in Local Environment, and in her book chapter “In from the Margins: Engaging Latinx Youth in Chicago’s Little Village,” in Routledge’s Handbook Designing Public Spaces for Young People: Processes, Practices, and Policies for Youth Inclusion.
Previously, Marisol worked with local and national environmental non-profit organizations to improve air quality in Chicago’s Little Village and Pilsen neighborhoods, home to two of the oldest coal-fired power plants in the nation, which shut down in 2012. Marisol’s civic engagement led her to explore policy development at various scales through an internship at the White House (2009), youth advisory council to the United Nations Environment Programme (2009-2011), and an Environmental Policy Fellowship in the U.S. Senate (2017).