Edgar Reyna

Edgar Reyna (he/él) holds a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, where he focused on climate change adaptation planning and analysis. He integrates transformative climate adaptation principles into his work that focuses on building community capacity to address the local impacts of climate change. His family migrated from San Luis Potosí, Mexico to southeast Fresno, California, where he was born and raised. He connects his lived experiences with his academic and professional passions to prioritize frontline communities in community-driven climate change adaptation solutions based on local knowledge and expertise.

Edgar holds a B.S. in Community and Regional Development from UC Davis, and spent seven years living, working and studying in Mexico City upon graduating. Prior to graduate school, he coordinated communications and policy campaigns for the World Wildlife Fund’s Latin America and Caribbean offices. He worked there for 4 years and was responsible for furthering the organization’s regional contributions to achieving the SDGs and Aichi biodiversity targets. This included coordinating the 11 Latin American WWF offices to roll out regional communications and policy campaigns. He was also responsible for the Spanish publication of the bi-annual Living Planet Report and partnering with over 40 organizations in 13 countries to promote transformative sustainable economies across Latin America. He also worked as a journalist, media strategist and research assistant during his time in Mexico. Edgar is currently a Switzer Fellow and is partnering with the Fresno-Madera Medical Society and leading the data gathering team for a 2-year climate change adaptation needs assessment for Fresno County. He also supports artists with curatorial writing, social media strategy and research. He listens to cumbias and bakes cookies during his downtime, and is a dedicated supporter of his beloved Club América.