Kyla is a disabled, queer research associate who is passionate about food and environmental justice topics. They believe that communities know themselves best and they hope to use research and evaluation to evaluate voices and needs, particularly through qualitative and creative lenses. Kyla joined Wilder in 2021.
Kyla’s involvement with projects like Met Council’s Park & Trail Visitors studies and Saint Paul’s Climate Action and Resilience Plan help provide opportunities to give power back to people who are responding to our research. Kyla leans into methodologies such as community-based data collection, arts-based methods, and intercept surveying to best capture a variety of perspectives in their work. Kyla’s breadth of experiences primes them to work with diverse stakeholders across a range of domains to think critically about large systems and their impact on communities.
Kyla holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations and psychology, minor in sociology, from Wheaton College in Massachusetts. They have taken a smattering of postgraduate courses in environmental studies, food systems, and culturally specific health care through Harvard Extension School, thanks in part to the 2023 Kingston Fellowship, and the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. They are a Hennepin County Master Gardener and are the operations manager at TC Food Justice.
Outside of work, Kyla enjoys crafting, gardening, and spending time with their pup, Marla.
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