Kiara brings over eight years of community engagement and leadership experience to the Civic Thread team. With a diverse background in nonprofit board service, community-based social marketing, media, and traffic safety, Kiara has strong community connections and a vast network across multiple sectors. Leveraging her experience with behavior-change campaigns, Equity centered Community design, and community advocacy, Kiara can effetely engage and empower the community to encourage innovative solutions around sustainability, food access, and other community priorities. As a Black woman hailing from rural California, she is committed to building more equitable outcomes by empowering and elevating marginalized voices through a social and environmental justice lens.

Charles Brown, MPA, CPD is the founder and principal of Equitable Cities, a minority- and veteran-owned urban planning, public policy and research firm focused at the intersection of transportation, health and equity. He is also an adjunct professor at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University. Charles is an award-winning expert in planning and policy and has been interviewed by several notable outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, the Guardian, VICE and Bloomberg CityLab. He is highly regarded as a keynote speaker and leads workshops on transportation, health and equity for audiences worldwide. Charles previously served as a senior researcher with the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers University, where he authored several groundbreaking national and local studies that redefined how experts analyze the role of race and racism in transportation and mobility. In 2020, Charles was part of the inaugural class of the Public Voices Fellowship on the Climate Crisis, which is managed by the Yale School of the Environment. Charles is a military veteran and a recipient of the Mississippi Commendation Medal and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. He has a Master of Public Administration degree and graduate certificate in urban and regional planning from the University of Central Florida, where he received the 2020 Alumni Achievement Award for Public Administration. He also has a Bachelor of Science in Management degree from Belhaven College, where he received the James W. Park Academic Achievement Award. He is a certified instructor with the League of American Bicyclists, received a Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Professional Designation (CPD) from the National Institute on Crime Prevention and is also a proud and active member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated. Follow Charles on X: @ctbrown1911

Chris Flores is the Chief of Staff/Vice President of Real Estate for the Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) where he is responsible for the daily oversight of SacRT’s Real Estate department and works closely with the Communications and Government Relations team. He also plays a key role in the district-wide strategic initiatives. In this position he manages the crucial link between external and internal resources by identifying key issues and concerns, and facilitates the development and implementation of key project objectives. Chris has been at SacRT for over six years, previously serving as the Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff, and Special Assistant to the General Manager. Before he joined SacRT, Chris was a Senior Field Representative and Policy Advisor in Congresswoman Doris Matsui’s office providing assistance on matters related to transportation, the environment, energy, small business, labor and more. Chris also serves on the Boards of the Sacramento Clean Cities Coalition and Breathe Sacramento. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Communications from the University of California at Davis.

Kacey Lizon is Deputy Executive Director for Planning & Programs and has worked at the agency for more than 20 years. Kacey oversees SACOG’s work plan of planning, funding, and technical assistance programs. She has played an instrumental role in innovations in regional planning and smart growth planning processes for SACOG. This includes initiatives in land use, housing, transportation, transit-oriented development, and environmental and rural planning. She has played a critical role in SACOG’s sustainable communities strategy work since the enactment of SB 375. Kacey serves as a board member of the California Chapter of the American Planning Association and is a member of the California Planning Roundtable.