Issue Area Coordinators Program

The Issue Area Coordinators Program provides our most committed students with training and practice in collective leadership.

The Haas Center’s Issue Area Coordinators build partnerships among Stanford students, faculty, and Bay Area community leaders to address challenges around Affordability, Civic Engagement, Community Organizing, Education, Environmental Sustainability, and Public Interest Technology.

Talk to an Issue Area Coordinator (contact information listed below) if you are a member of an official or unofficial student group in one of the six issue areas and you want:

• to collaborate with other official or unofficial student groups,
• to collaborate with local community organizations,
• to collaborate with faculty, or
• funding for an activity or project that involves collaboration among student groups, local community organizations, and/or faculty.

Contact Kristy Lobo for more information or to recommend a student/issue area for the 2024–25 Issue Area Coordinators Program. Self-nominations are welcome.

2023–24 Coordinators

Affordability Coordinator

Erin Su is a junior studying human biology with a concentration in human health in the built environment. Born and raised in the Bay Area, Erin has witnessed first-hand the urgent need for affordable housing. Her interest in architecture, urban planning, and public health fuel her passion for reducing barriers to housing. Erin serves as a project lead for the Stanford Housing Equity Project. She is also a member of the Stanford Housing Justice Working Group and a volunteer case manager at the United Effort Organization. She is involved in research on human health monitoring via structural sensors. 

Contact Erin

Civic Engagement Coordinator

Emily Handsel is a senior majoring in political science. She is passionate about gun violence prevention and voting rights, and she participated in activism around both issues in her home community of Tampa, Florida. In her time at Stanford, she has served as co-chair of StanfordVotes and was also on the Democracy Day organizing committee. Emily is currently writing a senior honors thesis focused on the effectiveness of extreme risk protection laws in Florida.

Contact Emily

Community Organizing Coordinator

Dawn Royster is a sophomore from Orlando, Florida studying anthropology, journalism, and film. Dawn values uplifting stories of BIPOC people by covering issues like race, justice, policy, and climate. She has served as an educator, advocate, and strategist in the climate justice space. Since coming to Stanford, Dawn has become involved with community organizing around sexual violence, free speech, and racial justice. She serves as a committee chair on the Undergraduate Senate, works with Stanford Students for Sexual Liberation, and creates short films with the Restorative Film Collective.

Contact Dawn

Education Coordinator

Cameron Pennington is a senior studying public policy with a concentration in education policy. As a first-generation, low-income college student, he is passionate about education access and equity. At Stanford, Cameron is a tutor-mentor for middle school and high school students in East Palo Alto. He intends to pursue a career as a secondary education teacher in his home state of Oklahoma.

Contact Cameron
 

Environmental Sustainability Coordinator

Ella Norman is a senior majoring in Human Biology with a concentration in social determinants of health and environmental justice. She is passionate about the intersections of health and environmental justice and achieving a just transition to a green economy. Ella works with the Stanford Environmental Justice Working Group to promote environmental justice efforts at Stanford. She is also collaborating with Rise South City on a community-engaged capstone project on the health impacts of air pollution in South San Francisco. Ella is excited to return as an IAC this year and to continue working with student groups in the issue area.

Contact Ella

Public Interest Technology Coordinator

Chloe Trujillo is a junior studying artificial intelligence through the symbolic systems program. Since high school, she has been exploring ways to ensure human rights using ethical technology. Chloe is excited to help students utilize their technical expertise to tackle some of society’s urgent needs. On campus, she has been involved with Cardinal Quarter, CS+Social Good, and the Human-Centered AI group. 

Contact Chloe