Boards and Committees

Decisions about much of the Lab’s work are currently made or informed by one or more Boards and Committees. These bodies are structured to provide input from diverse groups of experts and interest groups. The creation and use of Boards and Committees is part of an evolving process to respond to the changing needs of the Lab.

Executive Committee

Headshot of Kathy Abbott

Kathy Abbott

Boston Harbor Now

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Headshot of Marc Albert

Marc Albert

National Parks of Boston

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Headshot of Alison Brizius

Alison Brizius

City of Boston

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Headshot of Bob Chen

Bob Chen

University of Massachusetts Boston

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Joe Christo

Managing Director

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Paul Kirshen headshot

Paul Kirshen

University of Massachusetts Boston

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Headshot of Sonja Plesset

Sonja Plesset

James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Foundation

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Headshot of Elizabeth Solomon

Elizabeth Solomon

Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag

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Lab Staff and Administration

Joe Christo

Managing Director

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Paul Kirshen headshot

Paul Kirshen

Research Director

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Brittany Knotts

Programs & Communications Manager

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Allison Novelly

Research and Monitoring Coordinator

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Rebecca Shoer

Education and Engagement Program Manager

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Scientific Advisory Committee

Expertise informs the Lab’s research.

Shannon Cunniff Louise Firth Julia Knisel Leonard Nurse Bregje van Wesenbeeck Bret Webb

Advisory Board

Informs the Lab’s work and uses and shares its findings

Amanda Babson, National Park Service Alison Bowden, The Nature Conservancy Lisa Churchill, Climate Advisory LLC Chris Cook, The Rose Kennedy Greenway Amy Dale, Gradient Stewart Dalzell, Massachusetts Port Authority Pam DiBona, Massachusetts Bays National Estuary Partnership Wiener Douyon, Colby College Carly Foster, Arcadis-US Maureen Geary, City of Quincy Phil Giffee, Neighborhood of Affordable Housing Stephen Gray, Grayscale Collaborative Rebecca Herst, Sustainable Solutions Lab, UMass Boston Walter Hope, Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands Jill Valdés Horwood, Barr Foundation Nick Iselin, Lendlease Alexis Landes, SCAPE Fred Laskey, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority Igor Linkov, US Army Corps of Engineers Carl Long, Cabot Corporation Keith Mahoney, The Boston Foundation Chris Mancini, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay Richard McGuinness, BPDA Katie McKnight, San Francisco Estuary Institute Deanna Moran, Conservation Law Foundation Sonia Mulgund, Acton-Boxborough Regional High School Heidi Nepf, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Patrice Nicholas, MGH Institute of Health Professions Tom O'Shea, The Trustees of Reservations Jim Peters, Massachusetts Commission on Indian Affairs Leslie Reid, Madison Park Development Corporation Charlotte Rice, The American City Coalition Bud Ris, Boston Green Ribbon Commission Rob Stevens, City of Quincy John Sullivan, Boston Water and Sewer Commission Nikki Tabron, Thompson Island Outward Bound John Walkey, GreenRoots Amy Whitesides, Stoss Landscape Urbanism Cedric Woods, Institute for New England Native American Studies, UMass Boston Julie Wormser, Mystic River Watershed Association Kristen Wyman, Natick Nipmuc Tribe

Research & Monitoring Committee

Leads the Lab’s monitoring and research activities

Mark Borrelli Kirk Bosma Jarrett Byrnes Bob Chen Paul Kirshen Francesco Peri

Education Committee

Informs the Lab’s education and community science activities

Marc Albert Bob Chen Celena Illuzzi Jack Murray Rebecca Shoer Rebecca Smerling

Public Outreach & Communications

Informs the Lab’s engagement with the public thorough the website, social media, and other tools and venues

Mark Borrelli Marianne Connolly Liz Cook Paul Kirshen Christian Merfeld Jack Murray Sonja Plesset Kim Starbuck

Lab Partners and Funders

The following organizations are united in a collaborative management approach for the Stone Living Lab.

School for the Environment, University of Massachusetts Boston

The School for the Environment at UMass Boston carries out undergraduate and graduate education and transformational research varying from urban planning to sustainability to marine science to environmental management and everything in between. We lead the scientific research of the Stone Living Lab and some of the educational and engagement activities.

Boston Harbor Now

As the lead Boston Harbor nonprofit organization committed to access, resilience, and the harbor’s role in the health of our region, Boston Harbor Now is acting as the principal non-governmental organization to help advance the Stone Living Laboratory in the areas of policy, communications and public engagement.

Boston Harbor Now Logo

National Park Service

The National Park Service works in partnership to preserve the sites and landscapes that make up the National Parks of Boston, provides meaningful visitor experiences, and engages communities to encourage them to act as stewards for the future of their parks.

National Park Service Logo

City of Boston

The City of Boston is committed to protecting Boston’s air, water, and land resources and addressing climate change. As a partner in the Lab, the City is leading efforts to understand and protect cultural resources on Rainsford, and links the Lab to the broader Climate Ready Boston and Resilient Boston Harbor initiatives.

Boston Logo

Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation

The Department of Conservation and Recreation protects, promotes, and enhances natural and cultural resources throughout Massachusetts, including their management of 17 islands within the Boston Harbor National Park Area.

DCR Logo

Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

EEA seeks to protect, preserve, and enhance the Commonwealth’s environmental resources while ensuring a clean energy future for the state’s residents.

James M. & Cathleen Stone Foundation

The mission of The James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Foundation is to promote a more knowledgeable and inclusive society, with a special emphasis on environmental protection and the mitigation of wealth inequality. The Stone Foundation provides philanthropic and organizational support for the Stone Living Lab.

Cathleen Stone Foundation