We’re leading the way to transportation justice for all through statewide partnerships, power consolidation, and coalition-building. We believe that transportation justice is the work of many, and that transportation continues to host difficult conversations and continues to be a stage for movements.
Andrea Freeman
Policy Director, Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Andrea is the Policy Director for the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts (PHIWM), a Springfield-based nonprofit working in all four counties of Western MA. PHIWM builds measurably healthier and more equitable communities through community engagement, collaborative partnerships, research and evaluation, and policy advocacy. Andrea joined the PHIWM staff in 2022, to help bring Western MA voices to state level policy discussions.
Previously, Andrea was the Field Director for the Massachusetts Public Health Association where she helped community-based organizations advocate for public health priorities, including Complete Streets legislation and funding. While at MPHA, Andrea co-founded the RTA Advocates Coalition in 2018 with the help of T4MA. Previously she directed programs for The Trustees of Reservations (MA) and the Land Trust Alliance (DC). She has an MS in Natural Resource Policy & Planning from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. She lives in Western MA but her roots are in the Finger Lakes of Western NY.
Brendan Kearney
Executive Director, WalkMassachusetts
Pronouns: He/him/his
Brendan has led WalkMassachusetts since 2023 and been part of the organization since 2013 – first as development/communications manager, then as deputy director and co-executive director. In these roles, he coordinated the organization’s public engagement efforts to create safer streets for people walking, shared briefings with elected officials and reporters, and represented WalkMassachusetts on state and municipal working groups. He was a founding member of the City of Boston’s Vision Zero Task Force, and also served on MassDOT’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board (MABPAB). Brendan is also the lead author of our annual crash report, which documents pedestrian fatalities across Massachusetts and highlights patterns and trends to inform advocacy. A graduate of the College of the Holy Cross, he is an avid runner. He lives in Framingham with his wife, Hannah, and their dog Mavis.
Dálida Rocha
Executive Director, Neighbor to Neighbor
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Dálida is a seasoned organizer and leader with a deep passion for justice and a proud African immigrant and mother of three. She previously worked at Renew U.S., where she led powerful coalitions, developed transformative policies, and drove electoral organizing to advance climate, racial, and economic justice nationwide.
Before that, she served as the Massachusetts Political Director for SEIU 32BJ, the nation’s largest property service workers union. While there, she co-chaired the Driving Families Forward coalition, successfully advocating for the Work and Family Mobility Act, ensuring all qualified drivers—regardless of immigration status—can obtain a driver’s license. She also played a key role in the Yes on 4 for Safer Roads Campaign, protecting this critical policy.
Last year, Dálida was appointed to the Massachusetts Board of Education by Governor Healey, bringing her passion for equity into the education space. She also serves on the board of Episcopal City Mission and recently joined the Energy Transformation Advisory Board, where she helps shape strategies to build a more sustainable and collaborative energy future.
Whether fighting for immigration, climate, racial, or economic justice, Dálida is unwavering in her commitment to creating a world where everyone’s basic needs are met. When she’s not leading the charge for justice, you’ll find her spending time with her three children or contributing her expertise to impactful organizations.
Dwaign Tyndal
Executive Director, Alternatives for Community & Environment
Pronouns: He/him/his
Dwaign has over twenty-five years of professional experience in economic development, community and neighborhood development, youth development and workforce development. Throughout his professional experience, Dwaign has effectively led capable and diverse teams and has also been able to communicate complex public policies to various stakeholders to show how community-based partnerships can build stronger communities and empower residents and businesses to take active roles in their neighborhoods. Recently, The Boston Foundation named Dwaign as one of its Shifting Power, Advancing Justice Movement Leaders.
Eddie Rosa
Community Programs Director, Groundwork Lawrence
Pronouns: He/him/his
Eddie Rosa joined Groundwork Lawrence in September 2016. Prior to joining GWL, Eddie worked at the City of Lawrence Council on Aging and before that, he spent the majority of the previous ten years working with the developmentally disabled population. As a lifelong Lawrencian, Eddie has always had a desire to work to do his part to improve the community he grew up in. Over the years, Eddie has volunteered in various community events that involve clean-up and/or community building.
Eddie completed the Institute for Nonprofit Practice’s certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership and Community InRoad’s Cultural Inclusion Program for Non-Profit Board Governance. In his free time, Eddie enjoys writing, playing music, and community activities.
Jacqueline Velez
Director of Campaigns, Massachusetts Public Health Alliance
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Jacqueline “Jackie” Velez, an accomplished advocate and organizer with over seventeen years of experience in grassroots mobilization and policy reform, started as the Director of Campaigns on January 13th. “Joining the MPHA team is an amazing opportunity to pursue deep commitment to intersectional justice—ranging from criminal justice and housing to environmental and public health advocacy. I am very fortunate to now work for an organization with an impressive body of work that is aligned with my values and interests,” she said.
Jackie’s journey began at the Women in Prison Project at the Correctional Association of New York and then serving as lead organizer for Neighbor-to-Neighbor Massachusetts in Holyoke, Regional Organizing Director for the First Congressional District for Senator Ed Markey’s Re-election Campaign, Racial Justice Organizer for Massachusetts Jobs with Justice and BIPOC Organizer for the Fair Share Amendment campaign and Project Coordinator for the Live Well Springfield Coalition at the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts. Jackie also served as the volunteer Chair (and former Co-Chair) of the Hampden County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. A graduate of Bard Micro-college in Holyoke, Jackie is a dedicated writer and scholar and mother. Her work has been published in Oprah Winfrey’s O Magazine, and she was featured in the 2023 documentary Finding the Words.
Noemi Mimi Ramos
Executive Director, New England Community Project
Pronouns: She/her/hers
With a fresh pair of eyes from the neighborhoods of Boston and a savvy way of thinking and shaping community and political organizing, Noemi, aka Mimi, has over 19 years of experience in grassroots organizing that centers on social, racial, and economic justice. She is a young Black Latina from Dorchester who learned how to navigate the political system, in order to help others become a voice in their own community. Mimi has gained most of her experience from working on direct advocacy issues such as earned Sick, Early Education, Housing Justice, Worker Rights, and the power of base Building connected to Civic Engagement. The strength of her organizing has been focused on local power that deepens and strengthens the leadership led by black and brown resident leaders and building intentional relationships and partnerships with allies, that reflect and support building the strength and long-term agenda that centers communities of color and working-class neighborhoods.
Mimi is one of The Boston Foundation’s Shifting Power, Advancing Justice Movement Leaders. She is also one of Boston Magazine’s Most Influential Bostonians for 2024.
Roseann Bongiovanni
Executive Director, GreenRoots, Inc.
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Roseann Bongiovanni has led on environmental justice for almost 30 years. She founded GreenRoots in 2016 as an independent organization after previously leading this work as an unincorporated grassroots committee. She helped lead a collective response to the COVID-19 crisis in Chelsea and East Boston. Her work and leadership have resulted in Chelsea’s recognition as a Culture of Health Prize Winner in 2017; and GreenRoots being recognized as a Social Innovator in 2018 and a US EPA Merit Award in 2021.
Under Roseann’s leadership, GreenRoots celebrated the grand opening of our “Teaching Kitchen,” a space created by Chelsea residents to promote healthy eating and cultural exchange. She has raised and managed millions of dollars for various projects and has won several awards for her work. A Chelsea native, Roseann has served as a City Councilor, holds a Master of Public Health, and is a proud mother of two strong-minded children.