Our Experts

Jeannine Pearce

Jeannine Marie Pearce is a Graduate Student Researcher at the Institute of Transportation Studies, pursuing a Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Environmental Policy. During her first year Jeannine worked closely with Dr. Dough Houston, examining community steering committee processes related to air monitoring under California’s AB 617. This project involved over 50 hours of interviews with residents, regulators, and advocates. Later, Jeannine joined a project led by Dr. Elisa Borowski, assessing transportation equity across Los Angeles County through an environmental justice framework. Her research included evaluating planning documents and facilitating focus groups in Boyle Heights to better understand the intersection of mobility and climate resilience. Currently, Jeannine is contributing to a third project with Dr. Houston and Dr. Michael Méndez, which analyzes greenhouse gas mitigation planning in politically competitive jurisdictions referred to as “purple cities.” 

In 2024, Jeannine was awarded the U.S. DOT Pacific Southwest Region University Transportation Center (PSR UTC) Graduate Fellowship to support this ongoing research. Her research interests include governance, transportation equity, labor, and climate justice. Jeannine’s dissertation focuses on the rescaled governance of electric vehicle policy in California, examining how the battle over regulatory authority in the auto sector affects the accessibility and equity of the state’s transition to zero-emission transportation.

Jeannine hopes to one day join a Research 1 university as a faculty member where she can continue to bridge academic research, public policy, and grassroots advocacy. She’s committed to advancing structural solutions to environmental and economic inequality, with a focus on how governance, labor, and climate policy intersect. With experience in government, organizing, and research, Jeannine hopes to mentor students and build collaborative projects that are grounded in both scholarly rigor and lived realities.

When Jeannine isn’t pursuing research, she’s consulting with labor and community-based organizations for campaigns focused on climate justice and public policy. Additionally, she volunteers with immigrant and environmental justice efforts in Long Beach and across the state. 
First and foremost, Jeannine is a proud mom of an incredible daughter whom she loves to take on long road trips, visiting as many state and national parks as possible. She believes some of the best ideas start with lived experience and are refined over good food with good friends. 

Jeannine hopes to one day see a transportation system that is not only decarbonized but also designed to advance equity, resilience, and worker protections. From her two decades of public policy experience, she knows that the first step is a rich democratic process that is accessible, accountable, and efficient. She believes transportation should be more than a means of travel, it should be a pathway to opportunity, safety, and participation in shaping the future. Through collaborative governance and sustained investment in equity-centered planning, she hopes to contribute towards systems that reflect and reinforce justice.