Chancellor’s Climate Fellows Application

Climate Fellows are California Community Colleges staff, faculty, and administrators interested in supporting statewide climate action efforts through partial reassignment to the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (Chancellor’s Office). 

Fellowships are available in several areas, including:

• Curriculum Integration – Environmental Justice 
• Student Engagement and Student Climate Fellows 
• Facilities & Operations – Climate Action Planning and Living Lab Coordinator
• Facilities & Operations – Sustainable High Performance Buildings 
• Workforce Development: CTE Curriculum Development 
• Community Engagement for Climate Change Education 

The anticipated commitment is between 40% and 80% of a full-time load for two years, subject to your local schedule/load commitments and negotiation with administration at the college/district. (Please ensure your supervisor’s support of your participation before applying.) 

Work is remote, with periodic reimbursed travel, including, but not limited to:

• regular virtual meetings and weekly work.  
• in-person attendance at several conferences throughout the state. 
• bi-annual in person retreats. 

If you are interested in advancing the Vision 2030 Climate Action Agenda through one of the Climate Fellow opportunities described below, complete this application and upload: 1) a CV/resume; and 2) a cover letter that indicates your interest and related experience in support of one of these positions in a statewide capacity.

If you have questions, please contact climateaction@cccco.edu. 

Timeline for Selection

• Deadline to Apply: May 8, 2026.
• Decisions: May 29, 2026.

Climate Fellow Opportunities

Curriculum Integration – Environmental Justice

The Environmental Justice Climate Fellow will advance statewide climate action and sustainability efforts in partnership with Climate Fellows and the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges, supporting cross-college collaboration and alignment. This fellow will develop professional development opportunities to support faculty in integrating climate literacy and climate action into instructional materials across disciplines. Responsibilities include:

• Engage in climate action and sustainability work on a statewide level in partnership with the Climate Fellows and Academic Senate for California Community Colleges. 
• Engage faculty and staff across disciplines and programs to integrate environmental justice into their curriculum and programming. 
• Engage in climate related curriculum development in one (or more) of the following areas: campus as a living lab, environmental and climate justice, and/or climate-related career pathways. 
• Develop and deliver professional development for faculty and staff at statewide convenings. 

Student Engagement and Student Climate Fellows 

Student engagement is vital to statewide climate action efforts. The Student Engagement Climate Fellow supports the Student Climate Fellows' statewide activities by providing mentoring and logistical support. The Student Engagement Climate Action Fellow will also support connections with student services and career counseling professionals to provide student-facing educational material on career opportunities in climate-related professions. Responsibilities include: 

• Serve as main point of contact for Chancellor’s Student Climate Fellows, including consistent communication via email, weekly group Zoom meetings, and monthly one-on-one meetings.
• Support logistics that enable students to plan and implement projects across the California Community College System, including annual statewide Student Climate Convergence.
• Facilitate student travel to conferences, meetings, or field trips (minimum of one face-to-face opportunity per semester).
• Conduct landscape analysis of existing statewide resources for climate-ready careers and create toolkits for campus career centers and counseling faculty. 

Facilities & Operations – Climate Action Planning and Living Lab Coordinator

The Climate Action Planning and Living Lab Fellow partners with faculty and students to transform campus operational challenges – such as energy use, water efficiency, and waste management – into applied learning opportunities through a “campus as a living lab” model. The role oversees implementation of student- and faculty-led sustainability projects within existing facilities, ensuring alignment with maintenance, safety, and scalability for statewide sharing. Additionally, the Fellow supports data collection, analysis, and reporting from building systems and audits to evaluate project outcomes and advance institutional Sustainability and Climate Action plans, including alignment with Board of Governors goals. Responsibilities include: 

• Partner with faculty and students to turn campus operational problems (e.g., energy waste, water usage, waste management) into research projects or course assignments through “campus as a living lab” opportunities. 
• Oversee the implementation of student/faculty-led sustainability projects within existing facilities, ensuring they align with maintenance and safety standards and document opportunities to share statewide.
• Assist in gathering, analyzing, and reporting data from building sensors, energy systems, and waste audits to evaluate the effectiveness of experiments. 
• Support colleges with data collection to support Sustainability and Climate Action plans, AASHE STARS reporting, and implementation of Board of Governors Climate Action and Sustainability Goals. 

Facilities & Operations – High Performance Buildings 

The Energy Manager/ High Performance Building Efficiency Climate Fellow at the Chancellor’s Office will lead building energy management, resiliency, and sustainability initiatives across the California Community Colleges system. This role focuses on reducing energy consumption, improving operational efficiency, integrating clean energy infrastructure, ensuring compliance with state and federal energy and climate regulations, and advancing the Chancellor’s Office Climate and Sustainability Action Goals outlined in Vision 2030 and the Board of Governors Climate Action and Sustainability Goals. Responsibilities include: 

• Serve as a liaison between the Chancellor's Office and the California Renewable Energy Lab (CREL) at the Kern Community College District to support implementation of  the shared goals in energy efficiency, sustainable design, and resiliency, with a focus on workforce development, industry engagement, and living laboratories for high performance building technologies.
• Develop, implement, and monitor system-wide energy management and infrastructure planning strategies and data collection aligned with California Community Colleges Board of Governors Climate Action and Sustainability Goals. 
• Provide guidance and thought leadership in developing student and faculty experiential learning opportunities tied to the advanced buildings technologies and infrastructure on the campuses.
• Ensure California community colleges comply with all relevant energy codes, standards, and regulations, including California’s energy policies and mandates (e.g., Title 24, SB 100) and Vision 2030.

Workforce Development: CTE Curriculum Development 

The CTE Curriculum Development Climate Fellow will support the incorporation of climate-related skills into workforce development programs and CTE curriculum. This fellow will work with faculty, deans, and regional consortia to support the development of new green and blue economy career pathways and also through the incorporation of climate-related skills into existing pathways. Responsibilities include: 

• Support CTE faculty to incorporate climate-related content and skills into existing programs through a community of practice model. 
• Identify opportunities in emerging green and blue economy sectors across California and work with the Chancellor’s Office, regional consortia, and colleges to support development of programs and engagement with industry partners. 
• Identify funding opportunities to support development of green and blue economy workforce development programs through grants and initiatives. 
• Support the development of work-based learning opportunities, including internships and apprenticeships for climate-related careers. 

Community Engagement for Climate Change Education 

The Community Engagement for Climate Change Education Fellow will develop tools and partnerships to strengthen colleges’ engagement with local communities, including creating community engagement frameworks, facilitating public-private collaborations, and expanding access to noncredit climate education. The role also identifies and advances funding opportunities to support sustained climate action efforts across campuses and their surrounding communities. Responsibilities include:

• Develop a toolkit for colleges to create community engagement plans with local community-based organizations engaged in climate action.
• Facilitate opportunities for colleges to engage in public-private partnerships with local employers.
• Identify funding opportunities for colleges that will support campuses and communities to obtain additional resources for ongoing work.
• Support community-based non-credit/not-for-credit opportunities for climate change education within local communities.

If you have questions, please contact: climateaction@cccco.edu.