Brian D. Taylor, Ph.D.

Brian D. Taylor, PhD, FAICP is a Professor of Urban Planning and Public Policy in the Luskin School of Public Affairs. He teaches courses on transportation, land use, and urban form; public transit and shared mobility; and transportation economics, finance, and policy. He studies travel behavior, public transit, and transportation equity, finance, history, and politics. His book, The Drive for Dollars: How Fiscal Politics Shaped Urban Freeways and Transformed American Cities, was published in 2023 by Oxford University Press. At UCLA he has been Director, Institute of Transportation Studies (23 years); Director, Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies (7 years); and Chair, Department of Urban Planning (3 years). A proud transfer student, Professor Taylor holds an AA (Social Science) from Long Beach City College, a BA (Geography) from UCLA, an MS (Civil Engineering) and MCP (City & Regional Planning) from UC Berkeley, and a PhD (Urban Planning) from UCLA. 

Dellara

Dellara is a digital creator, author, artist, and activist who began her academic journey at Irvine Valley College before transferring to California State University, Long Beach, and later earning her law degree from UCLA School of Law. Today, she reaches an audience of over 1.5 million across social platforms, empowering others to pursue bold dreams — no matter where they begin. As a proud first-generation and transfer student, Dellara believes nontraditional paths create some of the most powerful leaders. Her work bridges education, storytelling, and advocacy, and she remains committed to showing that with resilience, community, and vision, there are no limits to how far a transfer student can go.