As NRDC’s Southern California legislative director, Linda Escalante promotes strong relationships with state and local elected officials, partner organizations, coalitions, and other stakeholders. These collaborations advance the protection of public health and the environment in areas such as zero waste, water supply and quality, clean energy, climate change, oceans, toxic chemicals, endangered species, among many others.

Escalante is a renowned environmental expert in the U.S-based Spanish language—empowering and mobilizing Latinos to engage in advocacy and activism around environmental and health issues. She has been bestowed the Latina Magazine New Generation Award and named among PODER Magazine’s 100 U.S. Green Latino Leaders. Escalante, who is also passionate about civil, immigrant, and women’s rights, has served as a board member of a worker wellness and healthcare access organization. She holds a bachelor’s in biology from the University of California, Los Angeles and prior to joining NRDC in 2005, Escalante worked for the UCLA/RAND Program on Latino Children with Asthma and Allies Against Asthma in Puerto Rico. Escalante was appointed to the California Coastal Commission as an alternate commissioner in 2018. She is based in NRDC’s Santa Monica office.