Maha Aslam
Transit + Streets Program Manager
Contact: [email protected]
Maha Aslam is the Program Manager: Streets + Transit 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.
Makayla Comas (she/her)
Co-Executive Director
Contact: [email protected]
Makayla is a Co-Executive Director for Livable Streets. She oversees the Street Ambassador program, and is responsible for building and coordinating outreach campaigns that advance the goals of LivableStreets’ Transit, Emerald Network, Vision Zero, and Great Neighborhoods advocacy initiatives. Makayla approaches her work with an intersectional framework that she learned as an environmental and racial justice organizer in New York City and which she is committed to applying in her current work. Makayla is particularly interested in the ways Race, Place, and Mobility overlap.
Makayla has worked previously on the MBTA’s Community Engagement Team. She is a graduate of SUNY - College of Environmental Science and Forestry, with a Bachelor's in Environmental Studies, as well as Tufts University, where she earned a Master’s in Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy.
Lorraine Fryer
Senior Manager, Content + Culture
Contact: [email protected]
Lorraine is the Senior Manager of Content + Culture 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.
Catherine Gleason (she/her)
Co-Executive Director
Contact: [email protected]
Catherine is a Co-Executive Director for LivableStreets, championing our policy priorities and street safety work through coalition building and management, and holding municipalities and elected leaders accountable by publishing reports and candidate questionnaires.
Catherine believes in the power that policy has to revolutionize and make meaningful changes in peoples' lives, and puts her energy into shifting systems of power away from an inequitable status quo. She brings experiences from previous roles with The Food Project and the Boston Parks and Recreation Department. Catherine holds a B.S. from Northeastern University, where she studied Environmental Science. In her free time, Catherine can be found curled up with one of the many books she’s reading at any given time, or exploring a new artistic hobby.
Michaela Grenier (she/her)
Co-Executive Director
Contact: [email protected]
Michaela Grenier is a Co-Executive Director for LivableStreets. She works with community members and coalition partners to support the development of miles of greenways in the Boston area. Michaela brings a background in conflict transformation and community organizing to her work. Prior to joining the LivableStreets team, Michaela worked at an international conflict resolution nonprofit where she partnered with diverse communities to design inclusive and participatory processes for improving conflicts and addressing inequities. She is a big believer in the power of greenways to connect communities, improve humans’ health and wellbeing, and increase climate resiliency.
Michaela has a B.A. in International Studies and Women’s Studies from Denison University. In her free time, you can find Michaela gardening, walking, or curled up with a cat (or two) and a good book.
Ammi Hosur
Operations + Communications Coordinator
Contact: [email protected]
Ammi Hosur is the Operations + Communications Coordinator at LivableStreets Alliance. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications & Journalism from Suffolk University, with a concentration in Public Relations. While attending school next to the State House in the heart of Boston, Ammi began to educate herself about social, political, and environmental injustices. After seeing how people are directly affected by ongoing flaws in the system, Ammi’s empathy drove her to make a personal commitment to contributing to a larger cause: creating a safe and affordable environment while providing equitable opportunities for everyone, regardless of their personal background.
Ammi is passionate about music, art, and food. She loves singing and exploring local restaurants and live shows in the Metro Boston area. You will find her with a pair of headphones in her ears a majority of the time. In 2021, she was in the top 0.05% of listeners for Spotify. In 2022, she hopes to make it to the top 0.01%.
Abby Jamiel (she/they)
Emerald Network Director
Contact: [email protected]
Abby is the Emerald Network Director. She builds relationships with community members and partners to actualize miles of greenways within Boston. As an Urban Planner, her interest lies in bringing joy and justice to cities. She is particularly interested in the intersection of public space, arts and culture, and climate migration.
Abby has a B.A in Art History from Ithaca College where she rowed on the Varsity Crew Team. She also has a Master's Degree in Urban Planning with a concentration in Urban Design from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. She loves to go to live shows, explore new cities on bike and foot, works as a fitness instructor, and dabbles in creating art.
Amrita Sawhney
Greenways + Policy Analyst
Contact: [email protected]
As the Greenways + Policy Analyst, Amrita works across LivableStreets programs to aggregate data and advocate for policies. In her work, Amrita strives to recognize the interconnectivity of all systems. As a result, she works to build cohesive solutions for issues regarding transit, housing, and the environment. Amrita also strives to embrace the gray areas between these systems.
Amrita has a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Economics from Reed College. Her thesis research helped incentivize the implementation of Green Stormwater Infrastructure in Gresham, Oregon. In her free time, Amrita creates art, lifts weights, and eats lots of ice cream. Send her your Boston creamery recommendations anytime!
Stacy Thompson (she/her)
Outgoing Executive Director
Contact: [email protected]
Stacy is the outgoing Executive Director of LivableStreets, overseeing all programs including Vision Zero, Better Buses, and the Emerald Network, and ensuring overall programmatic and operational excellence for the organization.
A relentless optimist, Stacy is undaunted by the many challenges facing Metro Boston today, including increasing access to jobs and affordable housing, improving safety and public health outcomes, and building climate resiliency. Stacy believes that improving our streets isn't simply a transportation issue, but one of justice, equity, and opportunity.
Previously, Stacy served as the Director of Events & Sponsorship at Ceres, a sustainability nonprofit organization, where she developed the strategic focus, content, and communications for major events. She also worked for the Office for Peace and Justice at the Archdiocese of Chicago where she collaborated with community partners to organize educational forums and supported a broad array of social justice initiatives. She has a Master of Arts in Social Justice from Loyola University and a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Education from Saint Vincent College.
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.
Jenna D’Angelo / Net Impact Board Fellow
Director of Strategy and Transformation, Universal Technical Institute
Contact: [email protected]
Jenna D'Angelo has lived in Boston for 14 years, the last 10 of which have been in East Boston. Her professional experience spans project, program and operations management across various industries, with a focus on strategy and transformation. After recently joining the local Boston chapter of Net Impact, she is now excited to contribute her time and skills as a Board Fellow with LivableStreets. During her free time, Jenna enjoys spending time outdoors, exploring the Boston area and greater New England with her partner Joe and their French Bulldog, Izzy.
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]
Bio coming soon!
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.
Donate to LivableStreets today via Andrew'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.
Ashli Molina
Senior Project Manager, Bus Technology, MBTA
Contact: [email protected]
Ashli Molina is a proud Nicaraguan-American and a civic technologist focused on transportation. She currently works at the MBTA where she manages key technologies for buses and leads a team that builds in-house software used by bus operations staff. She holds a master’s degree in urban studies and public policy from Sciences Po Paris and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Boston University.
Having also lived in Miami, Paris, and Bogotà, her biggest love is cities. She explores Boston and New England by foot (often with her dachshund), by bike, and by public transit.
Whether through civic tech or advocacy work, Ashli aims to help transform our streets and put people at the heart of them, especially for historically underinvested communities.
Donate to LivableStreets today via Ashli's personal fundraising page.
Leah Pickett
Transportation Planner, Cambridge Systematics
Contact: [email protected]
Leah became an urban planner based on a desire to help create better urban spaces and soon recognized transportation as fundamental to fostering sustainable and equitable urban development. She is enthusiastic about expanding multimodal mobility and is thrilled to now be supporting Livable Streets Alliance in its work. As a transportation planner, Leah helps public agencies across the U.S. undertake long-range transportation planning efforts. She is also a contributing researcher in several Transportation Research Board initiatives that investigate the impacts of emerging technologies on the transportation landscape. Prior to her current position, Leah supported the U.S. DOT Volpe National Transportation Systems Center and worked as a political staffer. Leah holds a Masters in Urban Planning from the Harvard Graduate School of Design and a Bachelors of Arts from Middlebury College. In her free time, she enjoys tending to her houseplants and vegetable garden, making art, birdwatching, skiing, and going to live shows.
Donate to LivableStreets today via Leah's personal fundraising page.
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.
Donate to LivableStreets today via Jeff'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
Senior, Brookline High School
Contact: [email protected]
Jacklyn Thibodeau is a 17 year old high school senior at Brookline High School with an interest and background as a youth sustainable transportation advocate. She currently lives in Brookline and also interns part-time at the MBTA as a bus stop auditor and is also a freelance photographer. She has been involved with the organization for a year prior to joining the board as a Street Ambassador and a speaker at Streettalk 10-in-1.
Donate to LivableStreets today via Jacklyn's personal fundraising page.
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.
Donate to LivableStreets today via Sebastian's personal fundraising page.