Mayra Cruz is a PhD candidate at the University of Miami, where her studies focus on heat and health. She is the former the Climate Resilience Program Manager at Catalyst Miami. She manages CLEAR (Community Leadership on the Environment, Advocacy, and Resilience) and HEAL (Housing, Equity, Advocacy, and Leadership), which provide trainings around social justice and community organizing around the issues of climate change and affordable housing, respectively. Collectively the programs have graduated over 300 leaders who are more civically engaged and advocating for resilient solutions to Miami’s most pressing problems. She also supports Catalyst’s work around disaster preparedness and advocating for equitable resilient strategies for vulnerable communities.

 

As a member of the Miami Climate Alliance, she advocates for access to clean energy for low-wealth communities. She is passionate about addressing the social determinants of health and combating climate change from a public health perspective. Mayra graduated from Columbia University with an MPH in Environmental Health Sciences with a Certificate in Climate and Health.