Kai Tran (he/him) is a recent graduate from Duke University and an environmental advocate with a focus on the intersection of environmental justice and conservation
Much of Kai’s past environmental advocacy work was done in support of the first-ever Indigenously nominated and led National Marine Sanctuary with the recently established Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary (CHNMS) on the Central Coast of California. Through his role as the OceanEcho 30x30 Fellow with EarthEcho International, Kai developed a youth outreach campaign which provided educational presentations to 50 students and faculty in the local community. Kai continued his advocacy on behalf of the then-proposed sanctuary through the publication of an Op-Ed, authorship of a Youth Sign-on Letter which gained over 100 individual and 20 organizational signatures, lobbying in Washington D.C. with members of Congress and the White House, and several public speaking engagements at various events. Kai’s work in support of the CHNMS was recognized by the White House Council on Environmental Quality through his appearance on a Climate Leadership panel for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, as well as his reception of the New Leader Award by the America the Beautiful for All Coalition.
Kai’s passion for the environment began during High School, where he had the immense privilege to travel across the country with his family on summer road trips, visiting many of America’s National Parks. Kai continues these adventures and considers hiking and exploring America’s Public Lands one of his greatest personal enjoyments. Paired with the upbringing of parents who hold mixed identities and backgrounds, Kai has a personal drive to expand diverse voices and equitable inclusion in environmental protection and justice.
Kai recently earned a Master of Environmental Management from Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment with a primary concentration in Community Engagement & Environmental Justice and secondary concentration in Terrestrial & Freshwater Environments. Before coming to Duke, Kai earned a B.S. in Environmental Management & Protection with two minors in Political Science and Law & Society from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Outside of his studies and advocacy campaigns, Kai has previously worked in philanthropy as a Yale Environmental Fellow and a Research Intern for various Environmental Justice and wildfire resiliency organizations.