While Massachusetts Power Shift runs on consensus as much as possible for major decisions, the ultimate responsibility falls to the steering committee.
2008-09 Steering Committee:
MAPS Co-Coordinator:
Craig Altemose
Born and raised in Morris Plains, NJ, Craig headed for the warmth of Florida to attend Eckerd College, where he studied International Relations and Global Affairs. After graduating from Eckerd College in 2006, Craig enrolled in a joint degree program between Harvard Law School and the Kennedy School of Government, where he is earning a Master's in Public Policy and a Law Degree. At Harvard, Craig jumped head-first into the Youth Climate Movement, working with Energy Action in January 2007 as an intern and helping to plan Power Shift 2007 as an Energy Action Summer Fellow. Most recently, he was appointed to a Presidential Task Force by Harvard’s President to set concrete emissions reductions for the University. Craig enjoys playing outdoor sports (when it's warm), and complaining about Massachusetts winters (when it's cold).
MAPS Co-Coordinator:
Katie MacDonald
Katie MacDonald is a freshman at UMass Amherst where she is an environmental science major. Katie got involved with MAPS in 2007 and worked on the recruitment team planning Massachusetts Power Shift. She was the founder and president of her high school eco-action club for four years, and she served on numerous town committees as an advocate for sustainable policy in her district. Katie is excited to be serving on the steering committee as a co-coordinator this semester and anticipates great things for MAPS during the 2008-2009 school year.
Internal Communications Chair:
Rouwenna Lamm
Rouwenna Lamm graduated from Smith College in May 2008 and now lives in Somerville, MA. As a child growing up in Kentucky, she was surrounded by environmental degradation, poverty, and power inequities. She was inspired by those around her who were working to find solutions to these problems. This childhood context, coupled with her love of the mountains and the the time she spent in Mexico becoming more aware of how globalization plays into social, economic, and environmental injustices, inspired Rouwenna to begin her work on climate change. She joined the MAPS team in November 2008 and served as the Partnership Team Chair and on the Steering and Executive Committees while MAPS planned it's first climate conference held in April 2008. In addition to her work on climate change, Rouwenna enjoys working with teenagers, reading science articles, being active outdoors, speaking Spanish, and dancing.
External Communications Chair:
Ryan Zampardo
Ryan is currently a senior at Harvard University studying economics and government, though he is primarily interested in the application of these fields to urban planning, alternative energy, the environment and sustainable development. His inspiration to work in the green sector came from a summer internship in London with BioRegional Quintain, a developer of sustainable residential communities in the United Kingdom. At Harvard, Ryan is vice president of the Harvard College Urban Studies Society and is a member of the Environmental Action Committee. In his free time, Ryan enjoys following American politics, Detroit sports, and staying active.
Membership Chair:
Elise Moussa
Elise is Co-Founder of Borderless Educations (BE) and Director of the Boston Young Professionals Network of Americans for Informed Democracy (AID). Elise is an advocate of education through dialogue and technology; with a hard focus on the environment, social responsibility, open source technology and financial strategies to make that education sustainable. Elise is currently pursuing a Masters of Science at Boston College, where she earned an undergraduate degree in International Studies and Political Science with an Hispanic Studies minor. Elise has been part of the MAPS team since 2007 serving as an Executive Member and on both the Steering Committee and Agenda Team as Co-Chair for the Mass Power Shift 08 that organized 60 different educational workshops in one morning to promote greater understanding, awareness, and action for climate solutions, green jobs, and green justice.
Fundraising Chair:
Jen Filiault
Jen works as a Field Organizer for Clean Power Now – the non-profit, grassroots organization on Cape Cod that supports the offshore windfarm proposed for Nantucket Sound – and also as the Northeast Coordinator for CLEAN – Citizens Lead for Energy Action Now. By connecting grassroots groups dedicated to energy and environmental issues in their communities to one another by means of this new collaboration, CLEAN aims to lend support to the great local organizing already being done around the country. As the Northeast Coordinator for CLEAN, Jen is responsible for maintaining the relationships between these organizations as we push for a better energy future in the U.S. Having grown up on Cape Cod and attended the University of Vermont, Jen enjoys all activities involving water, snow, beaches, mountains, and fresh air.
Campaign Team
MAPS Campaign Chair:
Meredith Annex
Originally from Durham, North Carolina, Meredith is currently a sophomore at Williams College with an undeclared major but interests in anthropology, economics, environmental science, and chemistry. She has been involved in the environmental movement since the fourth grade, when she convinced her parents to let her join the Sierra Club, but more recently has helped plan Focus the Nation at Williams College, serves on the point team of the Williams College Environmental Group called Thursday Night Group, and is on the steering committee for Massachusetts Power Shift. She likes warm weather and rain, and is excited to see the youth climate movement create change in Massachusetts!
Direct Action Coordinator:
Deirdre Lally
Deirdre spent time studying at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA where she organized the school's first environmental group. She now attends UMass Boston for Anthropology. She is the Massachusetts Regional Coordinator for the Student Environmental Action Coalition. In 2007, Deirdre attended Greenpeace's organizing training week, Change It!, and since then has been thrown headfirst into the Climate Justice Movement. Along with Mass Powershift, she is involved with Rising Tide Boston, and is the co-founder of Mountain Justice Northeast Alliance. Deirdre is an organizer for the Northeast Climate Confluence, and environmental and social justice convergence camp and network, which is part of the Climate Convergences happening around the world simultaneously throughout summer 2008. At the moment, Deirdre is focusing her energy on solidarity work with the coalfield residents of Appalachia, working to end the destructive practice of Mountaintop Removal strip mining, and looks forward to dedicating 2008 to making Environmental Justice the forefront issue.
Campaign Team Member:
Eddie Miller
Eddie is currently a junior at Boston University, studying Economics and International Relations, with a focus on Trade and Development in Latin America. His interests include current events, sustainable agriculture, the environment, web 2.0, good movies, and life philosophy. He is a member of the BU Environmental Student Organization and founder of Nourish International at BU, and serving as MAPS External Communications Co-chair. He is also involved in various community groups such as Boston Rising Tide, StartingBloc Institute for Social Innovation, and Environment Massachusetts.
Campaign Team Member:
Adam Sacks
Adam has had careers in education, holistic medicine and high tech, and since 2001 has been an educator and activist working on addressing global warming and establishing democracy in the U.S.A. He is the Executive Director of the Center for Democracy and the Constitution, a small non-profit in Lexington, Massachusetts, and is currently learning bicycle mechanics. He sold his car in July 2007 and as of August 2008 has logged 3,500 miles on his 15-year-old mountain bike, in weather chilly and warm, soggy and fair. He enjoys having company on the road and doesn't ride too fast.