Our Board
Liz Luc Clowes, ASLA
Board ChairLiz is Owner/Designer, Luc Clowes Landscape Design
Andrew Droste
Member & Chair of Nominating and Governance CommitteeAndrew is VP, ESG Engagement, Stewardship & Proxy Voting (Co-Head North America), Columbia Threadneedle Investments
Amanda Rich
Co-Founder, Clerk, & Board MemberAmanda is an independent sustainability consultant with a Master’s in Sustainability and Environmental Management from Harvard University.
Tracy Sopchak
Interim Treasurer and Chair of Finance CommitteeTracy Sopchak is Director of Development and Engagement at the Ipswich River Watershed Association.
Danielle Kaplan
Board MemberDanielle Kaplan is an MBA candidate at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and founder and maker of DaniJayne.
Grey Lee
Board MemberGrey Lee is a sustainability subject matter expert and manages S&P Global's ESG service offerings for the northeast US.
Christine Araujo
Board MemberChristine Araujo is a consultant at Zuaria Partners and is the former Executive Director of the American City Coalition in Roxbury.
Kareema Scott, Esq.
Board MemberKareema Scott is a Family and Community Engagement Liaison at Melvin H. King South End Academy of Boston Public Schools.
Joel Marquis
Board MemberJoel Marquis is Executive Director, Innovation Economy, Technology at JP Morgan
Our Staff
David Meshoulam (he/him)
Co-Founder & Executive DirectorDavid (pronounced Dah-veed) co-founded Speak for the Trees in 2018. Since a young child, he has always been fascinated with nature, trees, and leaves. After a brief stint thinking about science and philosophy in college, he turned to teaching high-school science. In the classroom, he focused on ways to increase students' understanding of the connections between science, culture, and history as a way to empower them to be change agents and active participants in the politics of science. He is a Senior Fellow at the Environmental Leadership Program, a graduate of the Green Communities Leadership Institute, and just completed his term as co-chair of the Urban Ecology Collaborative. You can reach him at david@treeboston.org.
MarS McCormick (Li/They/All Pronouns)
Associate DirectorMarS was born and raised in Boston and spent half their life working with marginalized youths that are new immigrants, living in group homes, on the spectrum, or with visual impairments and other disabilities. Previously, they worked as Community Manager at Tech Goes Home building community in the fight against digital inequities and other systemic oppressions by co-creating spaces for healing and liberation. MarS has certifications in Social Justice Mediation from Vital Village Networks at Boston Medical Center and in Community Leadership and Social Change from Tufts University and the Institute for Nonprofit Practice. They are also a Registered Behavioral Technician and have a BA in Management, Operations & Logistics from Southern New Hampshire University. MarS is also a co-circle-keeper for Come thru, Sis. They are a loving parent, partner, & community member. Their favorite things to do include arcades, field games, joking, and being in community with their friends.
Jerel Ferguson (he/him)
Community Outreach ManagerJerel has a profound love of nature, trees, and the Great Outdoors. A true tree hugger, he encourages urban youth and families to participate in and experience an active life in the outdoors by hiking, camping, and more. Jerel is an herbalist, a forager, and an established outdoor leader. He has a passion for growing and cooking food, he's also an urban farmer and gardener. Jerel has three boys and a cat named Oscar.
Victoria Frothingham (she/her)
Development ManagerVictoria has made her career in the nonprofit sector in Boston, working in a range of positions from ESOL Teacher, to Volunteer Coordinator, to Associate Director of Grant Programs in human services and education organizations. She holds a Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics from the University of Paris III.
Jonathan Cheney (he/him)
Community Tree SpecialistJonathan holds a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources from UMass-Amherst and certification from the International Society of Arboriculture. Previous to joining SFTT, Jonathan worked as an arborist for 4 years, maintaining trees from the canopy to the roots. Jonathan brings his experience and passion to help local community members make a connection with their urban canopy.
Joshua Reed (he/him)
Education CoordinatorJosh is interested in environmental and economic justice policy issues and passionate about volunteerism. He believes strongly in educating youth on environmental justice and sustainable development. Previous to SFTT, he served in the Peace Corps in Comoros as a TEFL Volunteer and also joined local Comorians in various sustainable environmental projects. In AmeriCorps he served as a Volunteer Manager for the nonprofit Opportunity Living. He is a lover of nature and explores new hiking and camping spots throughout New England. He recently completed his MA in Applied Politics at Suffolk University.
Lily Bonilla-Reyes (she/her/they/them)
Tree Care AssociateLily was born and raised in East Boston and is a recent PowerCorpsBOS graduate. As a Boston native they have experienced first hand how lack of tree equity and lack of green spaces in our city has affected our ability to connect with each other and our earth. Lily is passionate about creating, maintaining, and conserving urban green spaces, while making sure that they are accessible to all. Their goal is to become a certified arborist, caring for trees all throughout the city. Throughout her career Lily hopes to engage more of her community into learning more about the importance and value of environmental sustainability. Some of Lily’s favorite things to do are taking a nice long hike through the forest, crocheting, sewing and spending time with loved ones.
Julia Rudolph (she/her)
TerraCorps Community Engagement CoordinatorTerraCorps is an AmeriCorps Program
Julia is originally from Upstate New York. Growing up, she spent much of her time skiing and hiking in the Adirondack mountains, which fueled her passion for the natural environment. This past May, she graduated from Boston University with a B.A. in Environmental Analysis and Policy. Living in Boston inspired her interest in the urban environment, especially in terms of resiliency, sustainable development, and environmental justice. In her free time, you can find her at a concert, walking along the esplanade, or trying a new restaurant.
Derived Pierre-Louis (he/him)
MassCEC Summer Arts InternDerived grew up in Hyde Park, Massachusetts. He finds it fascinating how interconnected the environmental-field is — working and having conversations with different people from different fields remains to him: an enticing and magnetizing experience; an experience driven by a common-goal — for a better environmentally-sustainable future; cleaner/renewable energy, better urbanize-planning; healthier bees, trees and vegetation, and cleaner water! With some of his documentary-work photographing improper tree-maintenance, the somewhat rural-looking landscapes within Boston, and bees and bees-keepers — he learned how small and tightly-knitted the green-community is, and how significant and consequential every action (good or bad) can become! He would love to see a greener Boston in the upcoming years! And in his free-time, he loves playing the guitar!
Katherine Anne (she/her)
MassCEC Summer Project InternKatherine Anne just graduated from Boston University with a degree in Earth and Environmental Science and is now working towards a masters in Applied Data Analytics at BU. Ever since her freshman year UV-Vis Spectroscopy labs, she has been fascinated with how intricate and useful data management and analysis can be in the sciences. She hopes to be able to put this passion to use at Speak for the Trees, Boston. In her free time, she loves to read, bake, and watch hockey. (Boston University is a huge hockey school which helped spur that love. Plus, her dad’s side of the family is from Michigan so it would be against some state law for her to not love hockey.) She is also a huge fan of the outdoors. She loves paddle boarding, hiking, and hammocking.
Katie Atherton (she/her)
BU URBAN TraineeKatie is a summer intern from the Boston University URBAN Program and a PhD candidate in Bioinformatics working with Dr. Jennifer Bhatnagar. Her dissertation focuses on understanding the impacts of urbanization on tree health via tree-associated microbes — the bacteria and fungi that grow on tree leaves, roots, and in the soil. Originally from the Chicago area, Katie received her B.S. in Biological Engineering at Purdue University, where she learned the massive power of the world’s tiniest organisms: microbes. After moving to Boston, she found a passion for urban ecology and science policy, and is excited to combine both of these interests in her internship. This summer, Katie will be identifying the front and side yards of privately owned land in the city where new trees would provide shade for public spaces. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting, listening to Taylor Swift, and cheering for Liverpool FC.
Kate Nevers (she/her)
TUTC Team LeaderKate is a Northwest Indiana native. She grew up hiking the trails of the Indiana Dunes and watching the sun set over Lake Michigan, which instilled in her from a young age a love for the environment that has since bloomed into a passion for environmental justice, policy, and conservation. In May, she will graduate from Purdue University with a B.A. in Political Science, B.S. in Psychological Sciences, and NRES minor before pursuing a J.D. in environmental law. With this, she hopes to make a career out of advocating and legislating for both the environment and the people/species who call it home. Speaking of home...this is her first time in Boston, so she is excited to explore the city's music scene, nature trails, restaurants, farmers markets, local coffee and book shops, and hidden gems. She is also determined to become best friends with Luna, the bodega cat across from her apartment.
Mel Lord (he/they)
TUTC Team LeaderMel is originally from New York City and there, he became interested in plants in the city's parks. He is a senior at Brandeis University, majoring in Environmental Studies. A pivotal early class in tree identification inspired Mel to become interested in trees and urban forestry, and he hopes to continue to pursue these interests in his career. In his free time, Mel loves to hike, draw and make collages, read, and explore Boston.
Shayna Gutfreund (she/her)
TUTC Team LeaderShayna grew up in the sunny and warm city of Phoenix, Arizona, where she spent most of her time outdoors. Living in the incredibly biodiverse Sonoran Desert, she developed a deep passion for the environment. Shayna began her university journey studying biology at the University of Arizona in Tucson. She is now continuing her education at Boston University in a dual degree program, pursuing a BS/MPH in Public Health. In her free time, Shayna enjoys being outdoors, exercising, traveling, cooking, exploring new restaurants, thrift shopping, attending concerts, and spending time with family and friends. She is thrilled to serve as a team leader for the 2024 Teen Urban Tree Corps program and looks forward to working with the teens to explore neighborhood forests, care for the trees, and advocate for the community’s health and well-being.
Gabe Rodriguez (he/him)
TUTC Team LeaderGabe grew up in the Seacoast of New Hampshire, where he developed his love for nature. From swimming at the beach to skiing up in the mountains, he spent much of his childhood outside. A recent graduate from Tufts University, he devoted his time to learning about ecology and conservation. Outside of school, Gabe worked at several after-school programs. He is passionate about maintaining and growing the natural resources around us and instilling that same passion within the younger generations. Gabe’s other interests include skateboarding, good food, and spending time with family and friends.
Emiliana Dioguardi (she/her)
TUTC Team LeaderEmiliana is an international student from Caracas, Venezuela, currently completing her undergraduate degree in Environmental Science at Suffolk University. Growing up in Venezuela, she spent a lot of time hiking and biking at El Avila, a local mountain that surrounds the city. She is passionate about exploring nature and understanding the interactions within it. She also loves design and marketing, and she hopes to combine both her environmental and creative interests during her time at Speak for the Trees. In her free time, she enjoys going on walks, doing yoga classes, running, and exploring Boston.
