{"id":27363,"date":"2026-04-09T13:16:56","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T20:16:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/?p=27363"},"modified":"2026-04-09T13:16:57","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T20:16:57","slug":"usc-dornsife-public-exchange-welcomes-climate-leader-with-deep-la-policy-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/usc-dornsife-public-exchange-welcomes-climate-leader-with-deep-la-policy-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"USC Dornsife Public Exchange welcomes climate leader with deep LA policy experience"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                          \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/michelle-barton-top-768x432.jpg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/michelle-barton-top-1920x1080.jpg 1920w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/michelle-barton-top-1280x720.jpg 1280w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/04\/michelle-barton-top-768x432.jpg 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  alt=\"Michelle Barton smiles at camera\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  Michelle Barton will lead the next phase of USC Dornsife Public Exchange\u2019s climate strategy. (Photo: Joey Lozano.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=sustainability\">Sustainability<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>USC Dornsife Public Exchange welcomes climate leader with deep LA policy experience<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  Michelle Barton has led major environmental initiatives and will help guide work on shade, heat resilience and the L.A. River.\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">USC Dornsife News<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">April 9, 2026<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" width=\"19\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path 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     >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>Michelle Barton, an environmental leader whose work has shaped biodiversity, water conservation, and urban sustainability efforts throughout California, especially in Los Angeles, has joined <a href=\"https:\/\/public-exchange.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">USC Dornsife Public Exchange<\/a> as director of its <a href=\"https:\/\/public-exchange.org\/usc\/projects\/?_practice_area=climate-sustainability\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Climate &amp; Sustainability Practice<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Barton brings more than a decade of experience in city and state government, including leadership roles with Los Angeles World Airports, LA Sanitation &amp; Environment, and Caltrans.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why it matters: <\/strong>Public Exchange, based at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, works to pair experts in academia with public, private, and nonprofit partners to solve pressing societal issues. As Los Angeles faces growing climate pressures, Barton\u2019s experience will help strengthen efforts to advance practical solutions.<\/p>\n<p>In her new role, Barton will lead the next phase of Public Exchange\u2019s climate strategy. That includes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Co-leading <a href=\"https:\/\/shade-la.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ShadeLA<\/a> with UCLA\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/innovation.luskin.ucla.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Luskin Center for Innovation<\/a>, a cross-sector effort to expand shade infrastructure and reduce extreme heat risk across L.A. County.<\/li>\n<li>Overseeing Public Exchange\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/public-exchange.org\/usc\/project\/l-a-river-project\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">L.A. River initiative<\/a> and building on recent work with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.100acrepartnership.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">100 Acre Partnership<\/a> to support Taylor Yard\u2019s revitalization. Public Exchange also plans to expand scientific monitoring along the river ahead of a study of plant life in the river ecosystem.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In previous roles, Barton helped lead or support projects that:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Restored 50 acres at the LAX Dunes<\/li>\n<li>Secured $5 million to plant 8,000 trees and remove more than two acres of concrete in heavily impacted communities<\/li>\n<li>Deliver 750,000 gallons of recycled water per day to LAX<\/li>\n<li>Replace 95,000 square feet of turf at LAX with drought-tolerant landscaping<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Barton also served as the City of Los Angeles\u2019 first biodiversity program manager, helping advance the LA Biodiversity Index Baseline Report, LA Biodiversity Guidelines, and the city\u2019s healthy soils strategy.<\/p>\n<p>Her work has included collaboration with a wide range of public agencies, including the U.S. Geological Survey, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Federal Aviation Administration, and California Coastal Commission. Earlier in her career at Caltrans, she supported environmental planning tied to the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing.<\/p>\n<p>Barton succeeds Monica Dean, who left Public Exchange in January to become director of the Ocean and Climate Diplomacy Initiative at Oceans5. <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/climate-and-sustainability-practice\/\">Dean established<\/a> Public Exchange\u2019s Climate &amp; Sustainability Practice and helped position it as a partner to public agencies and community leaders across the region.<\/p>\n<p><em>Editor\u2019s Note: Trenise Ferreira and Jim Key contributed to this story.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n        \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-related-stories \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-related-stories\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--section-title\">\n\n    \n  <h2>\n          Related Articles\n      <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n                  <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/usc-dornsife-magazine-wins-prsa-2026-bronze-anvil-award\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >USC Dornsife Magazine honored with one of the communications field\u2019s most prestigious awards<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/usc-dornsife-graduate-wins-us-innovation-competition-heads-to-world-final\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >USC Dornsife graduate wins US innovation competition, heads to world final<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/is-ai-really-writing-ancient-authors-would-have-said-no\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Is AI really \u2018writing\u2019? From a priestess to philosophers, ancient authors would have said\u00a0\u2018no\u2019<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Michelle Barton has led major environmental initiatives and will help guide work on shade, heat resilience and the L.A. River.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":27365,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,15],"tags":[63,65,80],"class_list":["post-27363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-impact","category-sustainability","tag-community-engagement","tag-environment","tag-public-exchange"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>USC Dornsife Public Exchange welcomes climate leader with deep LA policy experience<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Barton, who brings deep L.A. policy and environmental initiative experience, will help guide work on shade, heat resilience and the L.A. 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