Antioch University Los Angeles Announces Gilda Haas as Interim Core Faculty for the Master of Arts in Urban Sustainability Program

CULVER CITY – October 11, 2011— Antioch University Los Angeles is excited to announce that Gilda Haas has joined the faculty  for the Master of Arts in Urban Sustainability Program. Haas is an organizer, educator and urban planner who has been helping grassroots organizations build economies from the ground up for thirty years.  She has taught economic development at UCLA’s Department of Urban Planning for over 25 years, where she was also the founder of their Community Scholars Program. She has also been a lecturer at CSU, Northridge and CSU, Fullerton.

“I'm very excited about the opportunity to lead and learn at the same time. I look forward to combining my experience with economic justice to the Urban Sustainability program's focus on addressing the mounting environmental crisis,” says Haas. “It is such a pleasure to be working with the students and faculty at Antioch University Los Angeles who are so deeply committed to those transformative values.”

Haas recently transitioned out of her position as the founding director of Strategic Actions for A Just Economy (SAJE), an economic justice and development organization that is dedicated to building economic power for working-class people in Los Angeles. She also manages the popular education website of her alter-ego, Dr. Pop (drpop.org) which creates learning games about planning and economics, and consults with and coaches the next generation of leaders for a new economy.

“AULA has a long-standing, deeply-rooted commitment to promoting various forms of justice in our community. Gilda’s expertise matches perfectly with the mission of Antioch University Los Angeles,” says Donald Strauss, Founding Chair of the Urban Sustainability Program. “We are honored to have her training our students to become advocates and leaders in their local communities.”

Haas holds a BA in Anthropology and an MA in Urban Planning both from UCLA.  She has been the recipient of a Durfee Stanton Fellowship and a Synergos Senior Fellow. She lives in Los Angeles and is married to mystery writer Gary Phillips and has two adult children, Miles and Chelsea.

The Master of Arts in Urban Sustainability is a national low-residency program that provides graduate level study in urban ecosystem science, urban planning and policy, activism and advocacy, urban environmental education, program evaluation, conflict resolution and mediation, sustainable practice and research methods. The consequences of climate change and unsustainable communities will fall largely to the most disadvantaged and disenfranchised citizens and will exacerbate pre-existing imbalances of social and economic well being. The Urban Sustainability Program provides education to those who seek to mitigate these imbalances through advocacy for change in policy and practice.

Antioch University Los Angeles (AULA) provides a rigorous progressive education to prepare students for the complexities of today's diverse societies. AULA, a not-for-profit institution, has served the greater Los Angeles area for the almost 40 years. The core values of social justice, service to the community and lifelong learning lie at the heart of the B.A. degree completion program and master’s degree programs in organizational management, education and teacher credentialing, psychology, creative writing and urban sustainability. AULA is part of the Antioch University system which has roots dating back to 1852 and was recently named one of the top 20 colleges most committed to community service by USA Today. Inspired by the work of pioneering educator Horace Mann, Antioch University was founded in 1964 andserves over 5,000 adult students around the world and across the country, online and at five campuses in four states.  www.AntiochLA.edu

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