Maha Aslam is the Transit + Streets Program Manager for LivableStreets. She has worked in New York City as an Urban Planner, and is familiar with New York City planning and policies; she has conducted related urban policy research, including overcrowding of schools in Sunset Park, the BQX Street Car, Transit-Orient-Development, East Harlem rezoning and Mandatory Inclusionary Housing, and Jamaica Bay Resiliency plans. As an urban planner she believes in safe & equitable access to transportation and a community centered approach to the process of planning.
Maha has a Master’s Degree in Design & Urban Ecologies from Parsons School of Design and a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from National College of Arts, Lahore, Pakistan.
Lorraine FryerSenior Content + Culture Manager
Contact: [email protected]
Lorraine is the Senior Content + Culture Manager at LivableStreets, keeping the website up-to-date, designing reports, and spending a great deal of time contemplating the nature of organizational culture; she is always creating projects that will teach her something new. Lorraine is a self-taught web designer and front-end developer, but first she earned a B.A. in Visual Art from Brown University and an M.L.A. in Museum Studies from Harvard Extension School.
Lorraine lives with her partner & bat-eared dog in Bay State Cohousing, a cohousing community of which she is a founding member. She's enjoying getting to know her new city of Malden, and appreciates the abundance of bubble tea options with a ten-minute walk.
Sophie GreenTransit + Greenways Intern
Contact: [email protected]
Angela Lei
Transit + Greenways Intern
Contact: [email protected]
Angela pursued her B.A. in Economics at UMass Amherst and has a professional background in digital marketing. She is currently pursuing a Master in City Planning at MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning. Angela is also a local to Greater Boston.
Jeff Rosenblum
Interim Executive Director + Co-Founder, LivableStreets
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.
Donate to LivableStreets today via Jeff's personal fundraising page.
board committees
Board
Katherine Adam / Vice Chair
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.
Donate to LivableStreets today via Katherine's personal fundraising page.
Chris Canton / Treasurer
Vice President, Denterlein
Contact: [email protected]
As a Warden for the Boston Elections Department, a member of the Boston Public Library Fund’s
Emerging Leaders board, and formerly a strategic advisor to Boston-based non-profit Inspiring
Educators, Chris is dedicated to civic engagement and public service. Believing wholeheartedly in the
vibrancy and potential of the Metro Boston area, Chris is committed to supporting an accessible,
equitable and thriving environment, serving all residents & communities.
With a background in consulting, finance and operations, Chris aims to bring his professional
experiences to bear in service of Livable Streets’ vital mission.
Chris is a graduate of UMASS Amherst and holds an MBA and MSF from Boston College. In his free time,
he is an avid cook and reader, a live music fan, and a mediocre golfer.
Donate to LivableStreets today via Chris's personal fundraising page.
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.
Donate to LivableStreets today via Charlie's personal fundraising page.
Rev. Myrlande DesRosiers
Sr. Executive Director, Everett Haitian Community Center
Contact: [email protected]
The Rev. Myrlande-DesRosiers is an ordained Pastor and Director of the Everett Haitian Community Center. Prior to ministry and community organizations work, she was Deputy Director of the State of Massachusetts’ Coordinated Care Systems, a program that had national implications as a prototype for Obama Care.
She is a former appointed Governor’s Affirmative Market Program Liaison, and she has also contributed her time and expertise to support several boards and initiatives both local and national namely, the Somerville Human Rights Commission, the White House President’s Interagency Council on Women; Cambridge Hospital Community Policy Board, the Mass UN Delegation in China; the Mass Law Reform, Institute; Housing task Force in Everett; Diversity Task Force. And more recently joined the Liveable Streets Board. DesRosiers is a regular speaker / lecturer at various institutions such as Harvard, University, Tufts School of Medicine Health Literacy Institute, Wellesley College, and many churches and conferences. She enjoys cooking and community work in social justice and ministry are her passion.
Rev. Myrlande DesRosiers holds a Bachelor of Arts, a Dual Master’s and J.D. and a Master’s in Ministry.
Donate to LivableStreets today via Myrlande's personal fundraising page.
Jason Lee / 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.
Donate to LivableStreets today via Jason's personal fundraising page.
Megan Stokes / Secretary
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.
Donate to LivableStreets today via Megan's personal fundraising page.
Jacklyn Thibodeau
Student, UMass Boston
Contact: [email protected]
Jacklyn Thibodeau is a Sophomore at UMass Boston and has been involved in LivableStreets since being a student at Brookline High School. She interns part-time at the MBTA as a bus stop auditor and is also a freelance photographer. She has been involved with the organization as a Street Ambassador and a speaker at Streettalk 10-in-1.
Donate to LivableStreets today via Jacklyn's personal fundraising page.