Katherine Adam
Vice President, Denterlein

Contact: [email protected]

A daily MBTA Orange Line and bus rider, Katherine is passionate about a vision for Greater Boston in which people drive less, or not at all, because their other options are so efficient, affordable, and fun. Katherine is a vice president at the communications firm Denterlein, where she works with clients to shape conversation around some of the most important policy issues of the day. She joined LivableStreets because she believes that improving mobility for all people creates more equitable and vibrant communities – and is critical in the fight against climate change. With a background in political campaigns and government, Katherine previously served as Communications Director for Senator Sonia Chang-Díaz in the Massachusetts State House. She enjoys hiking, crossword puzzles, and stargazing.

Kathryn Carlson / Vice Chair
Executive Director, Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston

Contact: [email protected]

Kathryn grew up in Milwaukee under the "New Urbanism" administration of Mayor John Norquist, which helped fuel her passion about urban land use. She has been an avid bike commuter in Madison, WI, Boston, London, and Paris. As Chair of the Fundraising Committee, Kathryn has helped to grow the organization's budget and staff. Kathryn is currently Director of Transportation at A Better City, where she leads the organization's research and policy agenda for Metro Boston's transportation system. She is also the creator of Buca Boot, a lockable, weatherproof bike basket that makes it easier for people to choose a bike for daily transportation needs. Kathryn holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Wellesley College and a Master of Science in Economics & Economic History from the London School of Economics. In her free time, Kathryn enjoys playing the fiddle and sailing.

Charles F. Denison IV
Sr. Applications Developer, Geode Capital Management

Contact: [email protected]

Charlie lives in Boston's South End neighborhood and enjoys taking advantage of the many modes available in the city. He began as a volunteer for LivableStreets, joining the board in 2007 with a strong interest in strategic planning and the implementation of priority projects. For a number of years, Charlie was Chair of the Advocacy Committee, helping to organize and initiate advocacy efforts on projects across Metro Boston. In the last decade he estimates that he's penned more than 50 advocacy letters and likely contributed to hundreds more. Currently, Charlie is a major contributor to LivableStreets' social media presence, sharing the latest transportation-related news from around Boston and around the world. You're likely to see him on the streets of Boston taking photos of the latest parklets and bike lanes as well as things that need tweaking, like ill-timed pedestrian signals or confusing intersections. He currently sits on MassDOT's Design Exception Review Committee, reviewing and providing feedback on projects that do not meet MassDOT's minimum required pedestrian and bicycle accommodation. Through that committee, he also helps to advise MassDOT on how to improve design guidelines and review mechanisms to ensure that more projects meet and surpass the minimums. More recently, Charlie has joined the newly formed TransitMatters Advisory Council, which helps to advise their organization on transit-related issues in the metro-Boston area. Charlie is currently a Senior Applications Developer for Geode Capital Management, a financial services company in Boston. In his free time, Charlie enjoys traveling, studying political and social issues, and exploring the city.

Andrew Filipek / Treasurer
MBA Student, University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business

Contact: [email protected]

Andrew grew up predominantly in the Boston area and has spent a large portion of his life on the MBTA, New York City Subway, and Washington Metro. As a result, Andrew believes in the power and potential of vibrant urban spaces and the need for accessible, equitable, and sustainable transportation options. As an MBA student at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, Andrew is focused on the intersection of finance and sustainability, and he plans to puruse a career in impact investing upon graduation. Prior to returning to school for his MBA, Andrew was an analyst in the finance organization of The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory (Draper) in Cambridge and a consultant in EY's financial services practice in New York. Andrew is a CFA charterholder and holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Boston University. In his free time, Andrew is an avid home cook, snowboarder, hockey fan, and bar trivia enthusiast.

Jason Lee / Secretary, Internal Committee Chair
Founder and Principal, FMRA

Contact: [email protected]

Jason Lee grew up in Vancouver, Canada, where unfortunately, he did not live in an igloo or commute to school via dogsled. He does sometimes slip up and say 'eh?' or pronounce words like about 'aboot'. For over a decade, he had the privilege of living and working as an affordable housing architect/urban designer in cities with great transportation infrastructure like Amsterdam, Toronto, and Shanghai. He is currently the founder and principal of FMRA, a strategic design consultancy that develops initiatives to build equity and inclusivity in the civic realm. Through his work with clients such as Boston Public Schools, the City of Boston, MassHousing, Smarter in the City and others, Jason recognizes the centrality of transportation infrastructure as a determinant of racial and economic equity. For this reason he views the work of LivableStreets as critical to closing the gaps that divide our communities across the city and the region. Jason is also a mentor with MIT's DesignX accelerator program and sits on their advisory board. He holds a bachelor's degree in Anthropology from McGill University and a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Toronto. In his free time, he loves to walk and mountain bike the Middlesex Fells Reservation adjacent to his town of Winchester with his family.

Vivian Ortiz
Metro Boston Outreach Coordinator, Massachusetts Safe Routes to School Program

Contact: [email protected]

Vivian grew up in El Paso, TX and has lived in Boston since 2009. You can find her leading her neighbors on a bike ride from the Neponset River Greenway trail in Mattapan as That Bike Lady or sharing her multimodal life experiences on twitter as @mattapanviv. She says she joined the LivableStreets board because the organization has been a "one-stop transit advocacy shop" for her. In 2017, Vivian was one of three in the first group of non-white women to become a League Certified Instructor in Massachusetts. Since 2016, she's attended the League of American Bicyclists' National Bike Summit in Washington, D.C. as part of the Massachusetts' delegation. Vivian received the Susie Stephens' Joyful Enthusiasm Award during the 2019 Summit. Vivian is the metro Boston outreach coordinator for the Massachusetts Safe Routes to School program. She enjoys jigsaw puzzles and playing board games.

Jeff Rosenblum / Co-founder
Director of Planning for the Northeast, Toole Design Group

Contact: [email protected]

Jeff co-founded LivableStreets Alliance in 2004 and served as Executive Director until 2007. He is currently a PhD Candidate in MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning with a focus on transportation policy, equity, and advocacy. Jeff has enjoyed spending the last several summers in the Netherlands with his family while co-teaching a Northeastern University course, "Sustainable Transportation Planning," held at TU-Delft. Jeff has served on the Board for the Alliance for Biking and Walking, participated in the Bicycle Subcommittee of the National Committee on MUTCD, and has been active with NACTO. Locally, he has served on MassDOT's Transportation Advisory Board and Boston's Complete Streets Advisory Committee. Prior to founding LivableStreets, Jeff worked on sustainable development projects in Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East and was a researcher for the Business & Sustainability group at Tellus Institute. Jeff holds a Masters degree in Environmental Engineering and Policy from Carnegie Mellon University and a Professional Engineering License from the State of Maine.

Megan Stokes
Senior Development Officer, GBH

Contact: [email protected]

Growing up in South Jersey, Megan almost never saw a bike lane or a train. She finally got to experience the joy of a metro card and rides on the Hudson River Greenway when she moved to NYC for college. These experiences plus her degree in Environmental Policy, Institutions and Behavior made her an advocate for more livable streets. Before making her home in Boston 14 years ago, Megan worked on political, environmental and social justice campaigns from Miami to LA. For the past 13 years she has been the Development Director at Community Action Works, a northeastern environmental justice organization where she trained residents facing pollution threats in fundraising, advocacy and organizing skills. Recently she joined the development team at GBH, working to raise the money needed to fuel public media in Boston. These days you'll find her catching the Orange Line to see a play downtown, riding her Dutch bike down Harvard Ave to the GBH studios, or paddle boarding on the Charles.

Julia Wallerce / Chair
Boston Program Manager, Institute for Transportation & Development Policy (ITDP)

Contact: [email protected]

A native of Northern California, Julia lives in Winthrop with her husband, daughter and corgi. Julia joined the LivableStreets Board in 2011 so she could start more conversations using her favorite urban planning jargon like 'spatial justice' and 'democratizing the streetscape', and ultimately to start putting visionary ideas into action. Julia and her daughter Maya have led the family bike ride for LivableStreets' largest annual fundraiser, Tour de Streets, every year since 2017, and she plays an integral role in fundraising and relationship building on the External Committee. She is most excited to continue to cultivate new donor relationships and build momentum around LivableStreets' Better Bus initiative. Julia is currently the Boston Program Manager for the Institute for Transportation & Development Policy (ITDP) where she leads efforts to pilot and pursue Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in the Boston region, and is the Chair of the Winthrop Transportation Advisory Committee. She previously served as Executive Director of MassCommute, spent many years working with community development corporations (CDCs), and holds a Masters of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning from Tufts. In her free time, Julia enjoys organizing community (biking!) events, following local politics, and exploring nature with children.

Ella Wise

Contact: [email protected]

Ella Wise grew up in a small town in the Hudson Valley in New York where she first felt a love of the land. Since then, she's been focused on creating walkable communities that support car-lite living, meaningful connection between people and place, and racial justice. She now works as a Senior Land Use Planner at MAPC (Metropolitan Area Planning Council), the regional planning agency for the Boston metro area, where she helps towns and cities plan for their future through community conversations, research and analysis, planning for investments and priorities, and updating the regulations that guide development. Prior to joining MAPC, Ella was the Acting Co-Director of ClimatePlan, a network of organizations in California advocating for policy strategies to reduce auto-dependence and greenhouse gas emissions through equitable land use and transportation reform. Ella earned a Master’s in City Planning from the University of California at Berkeley and a Bachelor’s in Environmental Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In her free time, she enjoys sitting on her front porch petting her cat and meeting neighbors.

Sebastian Zapata
Underwriting Analyst, MassHousing

Contact: [email protected]

Sebastian is committed to enhancing the experiences people have as they move around their neighborhoods and the streets of Greater Boston. He recognizes the extraordinary impact that road design and designated uses have on the way individuals feel and behave in them. He believes LivableStreets plays a vital role in advancing equity and opportunities in communities across Greater Boston through its transformative mobility and connectivity work. Sebastian works at MassHousing as an Underwriting Analyst, where he helps review and size multi-family affordable housing transactions across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a master's in Urban Planning and Policy from Northeastern University. He enjoys running on the East Boston Greenway, biking the Southwest Corridor, and people-watching on the MBTA.