Candace Chu O'Melia
Advancing clean mobility for communities of concern
Region
San Diego, California
Affiliations & Roles
Senior Program Manager, Community Impact at the Foundation for California Community Colleges
Community Development Volunteer, Movement Brave Entrepreneur (Movement BE)
Women in Electric Vehicles (San Diego Chapter) Member
San Diego Urban Sustainability Coalition Member
Asian Solidarity Collective Member
Candace is a second-generation Taiwanese American who believes in building intergenerational wealth through community-led solutions. She is committed to an equitable dignity-infused transition for healthier communities.
Candace most recently was the Transportation Equity Program Manager at the nation’s largest solar non-profit, GRID Alternatives (GRID). She led GRID’s One-Stop-Shop Pilot Project to improve access to low carbon transportation equity and climate resiliency programs for the most deserving communities. From 2019, she was integral in the transformation of the One-Stop-Shop Pilot into what is now known as Access Clean California by working with various tribal, labor, grassroots EJ partners statewide to pair community-based outreach with a seamless, user-centered application experience.
Today, Candace works as the Senior Program Manager of Community Impact at the Foundation for California Colleges. The Foundation is a nonprofit serving the largest public higher education system in the nation. At the Foundation, Candace oversees environmental equity programs related to energy, transportation and mobility, and workforce development to empower communities at the frontlines of the climate catastrophe.
