As the Director the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity at USC, Dr. Manuel Pastor conducts research and facilitates discussions on issues of environmental justice, regional inclusion, and social movement building. In this position he draws upon his vast research experience which has generally focused on issues of the economic, environmental and social conditions facing low-income urban communities – and the social movements seeking to change those realities. This expertise has led him to speak frequently on issues of demographic change, economic inequality, and community empowerment and contribute opinion pieces to such outlets as the Los Angeles Times, the San Jose Mercury News, the San Francisco Chronicle.

Pastor has co-authored numerous books including Just Growth: Inclusion and Prosperity in America’s Metropolitan Regions, Uncommon Common Ground: Race and America’s Future, and This Could Be the Start of Something Big: How Social Movements for Regional Equity are Transforming Metropolitan America.