About Pathways Community Groups
The Marine Protected Area (MPA) Collaborative Network (CN) supports three Pathways Community Groups (PCGs) – which are spaces for Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI), Black, and Latine identifying individuals to come together around shared identity and connection to water.
The groups provide members with a space to share their voices, stories, histories, culture, struggles, barriers, and solutions with one another, and create pathways to deeper engagement and leadership in coastal connection, stewardship and management. Group member participation is supported through engagement stipends.
Additionally, groups are funded to complete projects of their choosing to elevate and make progress towards their visions for their communities as well as provide learning opportunities and policy and management recommendations to partner organizations and management agencies.
Examples of previous projects include scholarship programs, the creation of a marine Lunar New Year calendar, a marine Loteria game, webinars about cultural connections to the coast and ocean, a report with AAPI-specific inclusivity recommendations for partners and decision makers, book clubs, documentary screenings, and group trips to the coast to learn and build community.
Meet the Coordinators
Pathways Community Coordinators serve as the lead for each Pathways Affinity Group and facilitate intentional discussions that guide the group to collectively decide on the issues and topics that are relevant and important to them.
Michelle Chuang
AAPI* Community Coordinator
mpacnaapi@gmail.com
Cianna Carrillo Walker-Flom
Black Community Coordinator
cianna@theavarnagroup.com
Kayleigh Wade
Latine Community Coordinator
mpacnlatine@gmail.com
Please reach out to the community coordinators listed above to express interest about joining the 2026-2027 Cohorts.
We invite you to follow us on Instagram or join a MPA Collaborative to receive updates. You do not need to live within a MPA Collaborative’s geographical boundaries to be a member!
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞
Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Community Group
Black Community Group
The Black Pathways Community Group has been making waves. The group meets quarterly to discuss the Pan-African historical and cultural connections to the ocean, highlighting Black contributions to marine science, and discussing group projects or scholarships. The group has hosted two rounds of scholarships as well as a documentary screening and webinars spanning multiple topics.
Latine Community Group
¡Olas y holas! The Latine Pathways Community Group continues to foster comunidad within the marine world via monthly group meetings, reflections on the groups the vast and shared identities and experiences, and representation of LatAm identities across the California Coast. The Latine group has created a marine-focused Loteria game, hosted two book clubs, and hosted two in-person gatherings.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why was the Pathways initiative created?
Our mission is to empower diverse communities and amplify their voices, fostering inclusivity and equity in coastal conservation. By doing so, we aspire to create a future where all individuals and communities are empowered to participate in and lead the decisions that protect our oceans. The MPA Collaborative Network does not believe that we, as a society, can have healthy, thriving, and diverse marine ecosystems without inherently practicing this belief as humans with other humans in every aspect of our lives.
Furthermore, we acknowledge the systemic racism and injustices that have caused harm to these same communities, which resulted in permanent displacements and/or severed connections to the ocean, for some of whom are their ancestral homelands. The MPA Collaborative Network is proud to support programs that elevate equity for our staff, members, and partners—in other words, humans.
2. Is the MPA CN considering supporting more Pathways groups?
Yes! We would love to create more affinity spaces for the Pathways program in the future. We hope to expand with a Queer Community Group, and more depending on interest and support. We’d love to hear from you about your ideas for future groups. And if you’d like to be the first to find out about future groups, you can sign up for our newsletter and stay in touch.
If you’d love to support our program, please consider a donation to the MPA CN.
3. I still have questions. Who should I contact?
For specific inquiries related to the community groups such as meeting dates, etc. please contact the appropriate community coordinator(s)—see above for email information.
For other questions, you can contact Jamie Blatter, jamie(at)mpacollaborative.org
Michelle Chuang
Asian American Pacific Islander Community Coordinator
mpacnaapi@gmail.com
Biography
Michelle Chuang 𓆝 brings more than 25 years of experience in strategy development, communications, and community engagement, with a career dedicated to building connections and creating meaningful community impact. Her commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion led her to found When East Meets West, a cultural blog that explores the intersections of identity, culture, and belonging through storytelling and shared experiences.
Raised in Southern California, Michelle developed a lifelong appreciation for the coast and a strong commitment to ocean conservation. She is passionate about expanding access to environmental stewardship and ensuring that diverse communities are represented in conversations about the future of our oceans.
As the AAPI Pathways Coordinator, Michelle combines her expertise in communications, community building, and cultural engagement to amplify AAPI voices, foster meaningful connections, and advance more inclusive approaches to ocean conservation and stewardship.
Cianna Carilla Walker-Flom
Black Community Coordinator
cianna@theavarnagroup.com
Biography
Cianna Carrillo Walker-Flom (she/her/ella) 𓆝 is an equity and inclusion consultant who is driven by her passion for social justice, community organizing, equitable food access, and youth empowerment. She has supported a range of organizations as they navigate their DEI journeys including small, nature-based nonprofits to startups in the high-tech space. Outside of work, Cianna can be found on a trail with her humans and dogs, at a local playground, or building community on Mvskoke land (Atlanta, Ga) where she currently resides. She has a BA in Sociology from San Francisco State University and a MA in International Sustainable Development from Escuela de Organización Industrial in Madrid, Spain.
Kayleigh Wade
Latine Community Coordinator
mpacnlatine@gmail.com
Biography
Kayleigh Wade (she/they) 𓆝 is a first-gen queer Mexican-American born and raised on Tongva Land in a community overburdened by environmental injustice. With familial roots in Baja California, the coast and marine life is something she cherishes with all her being. She comes to the MPA Collaborative with years of experience in environmental justice and coastal work, first as the Southeast Los Angeles Youth Organizer with Communities for a Better Environment, and then as the former Senior Manager of Inland Outreach with Heal the Bay. Despite not having a scientific academic background, over the years Kayleigh has become an avid birder, naturalist, and has appreciated learning more about tidepooling from her fellow Latine Pathways group members.