Dr. Kristi Pullen Fedinick is NRDC's first-ever Chief Science Officer, and a powerful environmental advocate for communities of color that have faced decades of disinvestment and discrimination. Learn more about how she's helping shape a healthier, more sustainable future for everyone as the head of the new Science Office.

Dear NRDC Supporter,

The head of NRDC's new Science Office, Dr. Kristi Pullen Fedinick, has always had a curious mind — and the guts to question authority.

Growing up, her music teachers used to remind Kristi and other members of the school marching band to keep their instruments warm so they wouldn't go out of tune in the cold weather. But their warnings weren't enough. Kristi wanted to understand why.

So with the aid of an instrument tuner, a hair dryer, a bucket of ice, and a homemade metal flute, she ran her own experiment and independently confirmed that her teachers' warnings were more than a mere urban legend.

The experience taught her a life lesson that she still takes to heart today: "I don't just have to accept what someone tells me. I can test it."

As NRDC's first-ever Chief Science Officer and a recent appointee to the EPA's newly reconstituted Science Advisory Board, Kristi continues to challenge assumptions and break down barriers — learn more about her work in this NRDC blog post.

Along with a team of NRDC experts and partner organizations including the Environmental Justice Health Alliance, Kristi co-authored the landmark Watered Down Justice report in 2019, which brought renewed urgency to the struggle that people of color and low-income residents face in accessing safe drinking water across the U.S.

"We didn't discover a new problem — it had long existed," she explains. "Our research just provided a different way to communicate that problem and helped elevate the experiences of people in the community."

Kristi's fight for a more just and equitable world includes making progress at NRDC itself. In nearly eight years with the organization, she's maintained an active role in helping shape its diversity, equity, and inclusion journey.

"We know from empirical evidence that big green organizations have a diversity problem," she says. "We can't see the world as it is and solve the complex issues we are facing if everyone is looking through the same lens."

Check out our profile of Dr. Kristi Pullen Fedinick at NRDC.org.