CSU Alumna Dr. Serena Alexander Makes an Impact Through Transportation and Environmental Policy

Cleveland State University (CSU) alumna Dr. Serena Alexander has built a career focused on solving real-world transportation and environmental challenges while helping shape the next generation of leaders.

Serena, a 2016 graduate of the Levin College, earned her Ph.D. in Urban Studies and Public Affairs with a vision for making a meaningful impact through research, collaboration and public service.

Serena currently serves as an associate professor of environmental policy and engineering and interim director of the Master of Science in Urban Planning and Policy at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Her work spans appointments in both the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, where she blends research, teaching and policy expertise to address complex infrastructure and environmental issues.

“I enjoy working at the intersection of policy, engineering and planning to address real-world transportation and environmental challenges,” Serena said. “I find it especially rewarding to collaborate with students and colleagues across disciplines, mentor emerging scholars and practitioners, and translate research into insights that can inform public decision-making and more equitable, sustainable infrastructure outcomes.”

Serena credits much of her professional foundation to her time at CSU and Levin College, where she learned the importance of community engagement and public impact in higher education.

“My experience at Levin taught me that colleges are not just academic units, but integral parts of the communities that surround them,” Serena said. “I saw firsthand how much of a difference an institution can make when it truly immerses itself in the community and works collaboratively to address local challenges. That experience fundamentally changed my view of academia and helped define my role as a professor.”

That perspective continues to shape Serena’s work today. She sees her role as helping develop future changemakers who can use research and innovation to improve communities.

Serena’s path to success was built through persistence and steady progress. Early in her career, when federal funding opportunities in her field were limited, Serena focused on smaller local, regional and state projects connected to climate action planning. Though much of the work happened behind the scenes, those experiences proved critical in preparing her for larger opportunities.

Communities across the country were beginning innovative climate initiatives, but many lacked the funding and resources to fully implement them. Working closely with local and state governments gave Serena firsthand experience navigating the practical challenges of transportation and sustainability planning.

Those experiences eventually led her to serve at the federal level in the Office of the Secretary of Transportation as a climate scholar, where she contributed to the development of the U.S. Transportation Decarbonization Blueprint, a nationwide strategy designed to reduce transportation emissions while modernizing infrastructure systems to better serve Americans.

Serena also worked with states developing freight and rail plans that aligned with federal requirements. It was work that required both technical expertise and an understanding of the realities local governments face.

“I would not have been prepared for these opportunities without the foundation I built through years of working closely with local and state partners and helping them navigate complex challenges,” Serena said.