Candice Dickens-Russell

Candice Dickens-Russell is is the President & CEO of Friends of the LA River and a passionate leader in sustainability, education, environmental literacy, and environmental justice. With nearly 20 years of experience in the non-profit environmental sector, Candice has worked with schools, school districts, government agencies, utilities, and municipalities to develop and deliver high quality sustainability and environmental education programs. She has led large teams and multi-million dollar contracts creating innovative environmental education resources. Candice served as the regional director for environmental education for the State of California Department of Education for 12 years, representing all of Los Angeles County. There she built a strong and vibrant network of L.A. based environmental organizations. In 2015 Candice was selected as one of 47 people statewide to serve on the Blueprint for Environmental Literacy Taskforce for the state and continues to serve on the implementation committee, the California Environmental Literacy Initiative as the Equity Innovation Hub Chair. An equity thought leader with a passion for environmental justice, Candice is also certified in Diversity & Inclusion and Micro-aggressions. She has led organizations in equity strategic planning and organizational development for over five years.

Candice serves on several boards and advisory councils for environmental organizations such as Ten Strands, Friends of the Los Angeles River and USC Sea Grant. She majored in Environmental Studies with an emphasis in Sustainability & Social Justice at San Francisco State University.

Innovation Hub:
Community-Based Partner

Initiative:
Equity