Kaiba White
Climate Policy and Outreach Specialist
Kaiba White earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology from Rice University in 2006 and her master’s degree in urban and environmental policy and planning from Tufts University in 2009. She worked for Public Citizen in 2006 and 2007 and rejoined the Texas office in 2012.
Kaiba contributes to policy research, advocacy, grassroots organizing, coalition building, strategic planning, fundraising, online activism, and recruiting and managing interns. She leads Public Citizen’s climate change and energy policy and advocacy efforts in Austin, advocating for equitable policies and programs encouraging rooftop solar and energy efficiency improvements. Her work includes pushing for similar progress at electric cooperatives and municipal utilities in Texas. She also supports climate and energy research, policy, and advocacy efforts in San Antonio and elsewhere in Texas.
Kaiba also serves on the Austin Electric Utility Commission, which advises the Austin City Council on everything related to Austin Energy, including which energy sources the utility uses, rates, and programs that encourage solar energy use, energy efficiency improvements and electric vehicle adoption. In this position, she actively advocates for a rapid transition from coal and natural gas to clean energy sources, including wind, solar and batteries. She also serves on the Austin Joint Sustainability Committee, which advises the Council on implementing the Austin Climate Equity Plan.
Before returning to Public Citizen, Kaiba spent two and a half years as a research associate for the Climate Change and African Political Stability (CCAPS) program at the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law at the University of Texas in Austin, where she contributed to research on vulnerability to climate change in Africa and used geographic information systems (GIS) to assess and map current and projected climate change impacts and vulnerability in Africa.
Media Appearances:
Kaiba has been cited and quoted in the Austin Monitor, San Antonio Express News, Declaration, and the Community Impact Newspaper.