People

Alice Springer (she/her) – Strategic Funding Manager 

Favorite place in the Northwest: Myrtle Edwards Park  

Languages spoken: English  

Alice is the strategic funding manager for CEHE and brings an extensive background in nonprofit management, fundraising and grant writing and oversight. She recently served as executive director for a federally funded affordable housing program in Oregon and is excited to use that experience to bolster the work of CEHE and focus on environmental and energy justice issues. In her free time, she loves to take in an M’s game, head to the mountains or hang by the water. 

Alison Hirata (she/her) - Tribal Outreach Manager 

Favorite place in the Northwest region: Seven Lakes Basin on the Olympic Peninsula  

Languages spoken: English, Japanese (super beginner) 

Alison (M.Ed.) has spent most of her career in education, as both a teacher and curriculum developer. Her passion is the intersection of education and tribal/environmental issues which has led her to some interesting career experiences including creating a tribally specific Native plant curriculum and serving as a Subject Matter Expert for a Crash Course series on Native American history and issues. As a descendant of the Karuk tribe, she feels a personal responsibility to care for the earth and promote Traditional Ecological Knowledge as a creative and effective way to transform the climate crisis. When not at work, she loves spending time with her family outside. 

Clarita Lefthand-Begay (she/her) – Deputy Director and Director of Relations with Tribal Nations, Communities and Organizations 

Favorite place in the Northwest: The Cedar River watershed 

Languages spoken: English 

Clarita (MS, PhD), an assistant professor at the UW Information School (iSchool) and a member of the Navajo Nation, conducts interdisciplinary research focusing on tribal institutional review boards, tribal water security, climate health challenges and the promotion of cultural revitalization, self-determination and environmental justice. As an educator, Clarita offers courses on western research methods, Indigenous research methods and Indigenous data sovereignty. 

Cristina Urrutia (she/her) – Center Manager 

Favorite place in the Northwest: McCall, ID 

Languages spoken: English, Spanish (fluent) 

Cristina is a program operations specialist in the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, serving as the CEHE center manager and as program manager for various children’s environmental health initiatives in the department. Originally from Idaho, she moved to Seattle to attend the UW and has been here ever since. In her spare time she enjoys traveling, sewing, and reading mystery novels. 

Edmund Seto (he/him) – Director 

Favorite place in the Northwest: Early morning summer canoeing out on Lake Sammamish  

Languages spoken: English, Cantonese Chinese (conversational) 

Edmund (MS, PhD) is a professor in the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences in the UW School of Public Health. His research group develops and applies novel technologies — sensors, devices, wearables, apps, models and mapping and measurement approaches — to environmental health challenges. Many of the group’s current projects involve community-engaged research. At CEHE, he works with the other directors and the center’s advisers to identify and implement technical assistance services that meet the environmental and energy justice needs of the region. 

Elena Austin (she/her) – Director of Data Equity 

Favorite place in the Northwest: Whatcom Pass, North Cascades National Park 

Languages spoken: English, French (fluent) 

Elena (ScD), an assistant professor in the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, is dedicated to collaborating with communities and stakeholders. She aims to create tools that identify and improve access to data on environmental disparities and vulnerabilities. With extensive experience in linking and summarizing large datasets, accessing administrative data, and assisting community-led environmental data collection campaigns, Elena is eager to engage with diverse groups within CEHE. 

Esther Min (she/her) – Associate Director and Director of Engagement with Grassroots Organizations and Frontline Communities 

Favorite place in the Northwest: Lake Crescent; I love to sit and enjoy tranquility and the magnificence of the lake with the surrounding mountains, with the clear water and rocks at my feet. 

Languages spoken: English, Korean (fluent) 

Esther (MPH, PhD) is a clinical faculty member at DEOHS. At CEHE and outside of the center, her focus is to make sure the voice of BIPOC and frontline communities and organizations are elevated, and their priorities and goals of environmental justice are supported by academic researchers and practitioners. She enjoys building environmental justice tools, as directed by community, with community. One of her favorite things to do is to harvest chestnuts with her family in the fall (it can get competitive!). 

Jeff Shirai (he/him) – Student Coordinator 

Place in the Northwest that has special meaning: Ballard Locks, as that is where I proposed to my wife. 

Languages spoken: English, Japanese (conversational) 

Jeff (MS) is originally from Maryland, but he spent many years growing up in Malaysia and the Philippines. He returned to the US for his undergraduate studies (UC San Diego) before he made his way up to the UW for his MS degree. Between his time in graduate school and being on staff, Jeff has had a nearly 30-year affiliation with the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences. He currently splits his time between the research groups of Edmund Seto, Elena Austin and Scott Meschke. As the CEHE Student Coordinator, Jeff helps manage students activities, and serves as a resource for students during their time with CEHE. 

Juliette Randazza (she/her) – Research Coordinator 

Favorite place in the Northwest: Vesper Peak in the North Cascades 

Languages spoken: English 

Juliette (MPH, MPA) is a research coordinator supporting the center’s outreach and engagement with public health practitioners. Her work and research interests focus on disaster preparedness and workforce training, extreme heat policy, environmental and climate justice advocacy, and community resilience. In her free time, she can be found climbing mountains and picking huckleberries in the North Cascades. 

Kevin Darole (he/him) – Program Coordinator 

Favorite place in the Northwest: Mount St. Helens 

Languages spoken: English 

Kevin is the program coordinator for UW CEHE and is our master of all things meetings and technical support. He is a fan of bubble tea, corgis and K-pop. 

Leah Wood (she/her) – Community Outreach Manager 

Favorite place in the Northwest: Kalaloch Beach on the Olympic Peninsula 

Languages spoken: English, Khmer (conversational), Spanish (beginning) 

Leah (MPH, MPA) is deeply rooted in the Pacific Northwest and passionate about advancing environmental justice for BIPOC and frontline communities in our region. A lifelong daydreamer and systems thinker, she brings experience working within and at the intersections of community, government and academia. When not attending community events or managing intake for the center, she can be found running, making art or learning weird nature facts. 

Nicole Errett (she/her) – Director for Outreach and Engagement with Public Health Practitioners 

Favorite place in the Northwest: Whidbey Island 

Languages spoken: English, Spanish (basic) 

Nicole (MPSH, PhD) focuses on the development, implementation and health impacts of policies and programs that aim to build resilience in the context of public health emergencies, disasters and climate change. At CEHE, she works to identify opportunities to connect community-based organizations and frontline communities with local and state government agencies that can provide technical assistance, resources and other support. She also promotes connections with resources and experts through her leadership roles in the UW Center for Disaster Resilient Communities, UW EDGE Center, UW Center for Health and the Global Environment, and regional Cascadia Coastlines and Peoples Hazards Research Hub. 

Stephanie A. Farquhar (she/her) – Co-Investigator and Lead Evaluator 

Favorite place in the Northwest: Mount St. Helens in Skamania County, WA. It is where our family hiked each summer, and I was close by as a young kid when the volcano blew. 

Languages spoken: English 

Stephanie (MA, PhD) is professor and associate dean at the UW School of Public Health in the Department of Health Systems and Population Health. She draws from community-based participatory research principles to address social and environmental equity and works in close partnership with community organizations and agencies. When she is not doing this, Stephanie is running long distances or parenting her teen son and goldendoodle dog.