Meet the Team
CHEJ Staff
Lois Marie Gibbs
Founder/Leadership Training Academy Director
Lois founded the Love Canal Homeowners’ Association in 1978 and CHEJ in 1981. Her vision has guided our efforts to provide critical organizing and technical assistance to communities engaged in their own environmental struggles. Lois sits on numerous Boards and Advisory Committees. She is the recipient of honorary Doctorates from SUNY at Cortland, Haverford College in May 2006, Green Mountain College 2009, Medaille College in 2010 and Tufts University in 2013. For her work over the course of her career, she has received the 1990 Goldman Environmental Prize, the 1998 Heinz Award, and the 1999 John Gardner Leadership Award from Independent Sector.
Stephen Lester
Science Director
Stephen received his first Master’s of Science, in Toxicology, from Harvard University, and his second Master’s of Science, in Environmental Health, from New York University. He received his Bachelor’s of Science in Biology from American University. Stephen has served on numerous scientific advisory and peer review committees including those of the Natural Resource Council of the National Academy of Sciences, the National institutes of Environmental Health Sciences, and the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment.
Gustavo Andrade
Community Organizer
Gustavo is a community organizer, trainer, strategist and advocate for full rights for all people. Prior to joining CHEJ, Mr. Andrade worked as a labor organizer with UNITE HERE! and the Change To Win coalition, leading successful campaigns in Northern Virginia, Los Angeles and Toronto. In 2009, he became the Organizing Director at CASA, the DC region’s largest Immigrant Rights organization and led countless efforts that improved people’s lives.
A native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Mr. Andrade holds a Bachelor’s degree from Goucher College and is fluent in four languages.
Sharon Franklin
Chief of Operations
Sharon has more than 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, with previous positions as Director of Corporate Relations with an international children’s organization; Executive Director of the Links Foundation, an international African American women’s organization; and Chief Operating Officer of the Montessori Accrediting Commission for Teacher Education. Sharon’s civic service includes serving as the President of the Historic Battery Heights Condominium Association and Board Member for the City of Manassas Housing Trust Fund. She is also a member of Women in Philanthropy and the Cultural Alliance of Washington, DC.
Teresa Mills
Organizer at Large/Small Grants Coordinator
For over 20 years, Teresa has worked as a grassroots leader to help communities find their voices, analyze data and develop strategic plans. She began her activism career by shutting down the Columbus Incinerator, which was polluting her neighborhood and was later defined as the largest emitter of dioxin in the country. Teresa also founded Buckeye Environmental Network, a statewide coalition of grassroots-focused groups. Today she works with CHEJ to train and assist grassroots leaders across the country. Teresa also coordinates CHEJ’s small Grants Program.
Fall ’20 Interns & Fellows
Mihir Vohra
Science/Technology Intern
Mihir is a postdoctoral Research Associate in the Genetics Department at Washington University in St. Louis. He received his PhD in Neuroscience from the University of California, San Francisco and has published several peer-reviewed articles on his research. Outside of the laboratory, he volunteers with local science education and racial justice organizations.
Benjamin Silver
Science/Technology Intern
Ben is an undergraduate student at Tufts University studying environmental studies and political science. He lives in Framingham, Massachusetts with his mom, dad, sister, and cocker spaniel, Cinnamon. When he’s not working, he can be found playing guitar, reading up on the latest fantasy football statistics, and adventuring with his friends. A fun fact about Ben is that he can run a mile in under five minutes. He began working as a Science and Technology Intern at CHEJ in September and is thrilled to be part of the team!
Hamsavardhini “Anu” Thirunarayanan
Science/Technology Intern
Anu is a Data Science & Conservation and Resource Studies student at UC Berkeley working under Science Director Stephen Lester. Outside of school and CHEJ, Anu is a Haas Public Service Leader—working with the organization Youth on Root on a project to engage California high-schoolers in environmental justice work within their local and state communities—and a UC Berkeley Data Scholars participant.
Saraswati “Sara” Poudel
Science/Technology Intern
Sara started working with Stephen Lester on the Unequal Response, Unequal Protection project in September. She is a graduate student at George Mason Univerity, getting her MPH in Epidemiology. She is excited to join CHEJ and work alongside a great team!
Kayleigh Coughlin
Communications Intern
Kayleigh is a senior at the University of California, Los Angeles studying Political Science, Environmental Studies and Global Health. She is participating in UCLA’s Fall Quarter in Washington Program and will be using her work at CHEJ to inform her research on climate change and health. After graduation, Kayleigh hopes to pursue an MPH and join the US Navy as an Environmental Health Officer. She is thrilled to be a part of the CHEJ team and is looking forward to learning from her colleagues and the many community activists who work with CHEJ!
Leija Helling
Communications Intern
Leija is a student at Tufts University studying Environmental Justice and Science, Technology & Society. She is a part of Tisch Scholars for Civic Life, a civic action and social justice program at Tufts. She also works with voter registration and engagement campaigns in Boston. She is looking forward to working on the ground with CHEJ colleagues and community
Ruth Rodriguez
Communications Intern
Ruth is a graduate from Texas State University with a degree in Geography-Resource and Environmental Studies. She has experience working with water resources and enjoys writing. In her free time she likes to draw, paint, and play with her cat. She is excited to learn more about what it takes to achieve environmental justice!
Julia Weil
Communications & Community Organizing Intern
Shaina Smith
Community Organizing Intern
Shaina is a student at Connecticut College studying International Relations. She began working at CHEJ as an organizing intern early this summer and is excited to continue learning from everybody!
Summer ’20 Interns & Fellows
Kara Hoisington
Science/Technology Intern
Kara interned for CHEJ over the summer, evaluating methods used to assess community health effects of toxic exposures. She will finish her MPH in Public Health Policy at George Mason University in December 2020.
Sophie Weinberg
Science/Technology Intern
Sophie worked as a Science and Technical intern for CHEJ this past summer. A theme of her projects was to take scientific data or concepts and present them in a more understandable way so that they could be used by community leaders.
Paolo Padova
Science/Technology Intern
Paolo worked as a Science and Technical intern under Stephen Lester during the summer of 2020. He did research for the Unequal Response/ Unequal Protection project and analyzed environmental data for the Greater Fifth Ward in Texas. Paolo is in the class of 2023 at Tufts University where he plans on majoring in Biochemistry and Civic Studies.
Monica Lee
Development & Communications Intern
Monica was the Communications and Development intern for Summer 2020. While interning for CHEJ, she produced the 2020 CHEJ Mid-Year Report, published a blog post, assisted with Living Room Leadership, and sent out a few e-blasts.
Julie Silverman
Communications Intern
Julie was a Summer Communications Intern for CHEJ in 2020, working virtually with Lois Gibbs and her co-intern, Jenna Clark, to ensure that constituents were up to date regarding CHEJ virtual events and social media during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, she created and executed a communications strategy to reach wider age demographics through tracking followers, content creation, and daily website and blog posts, resulting in a large increase in post engagement on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Julie is an undergraduate at Tufts University studying Environmental Studies and Biology and hopes to pursue a career in environmental policy or consulting in the future. Her favorite part about being a CHEJ intern was working directly with Lois and getting more confident interviewing grassroots environmental leaders through designing and facilitating CHEJ’s new webinar series, “Living Room Leadership.”
Jenna Clark
Communications Intern
In the Summer of 2020, Jenna Clark worked as a Communications Intern with CHEJ. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jenna assisted CHEJ in adapting their work to a virtual environment. Alongside Julie, Jenna developed, marketed, and produced CHEJ’s weekly webinar series: “Living Room Leadership.” After beginning behind the camera, Jenna hosted several episodes of Living Room Leadership. Additionally, Jenna managed CHEJ’s social media accounts, curating a strategy to increase their post engagement. She will be graduating from Tufts University in May of 2021 with a degree in Environmental Policy, International Relations, and Spanish. Jenna hopes to pursue a career at the juncture of international human rights and environmental policy, and is particularly interested in the role of conservation practices in furthering indigenous dispossession.
Winter ’20 Interns & Fellows
Oliver (Annie) Nguyen
Science/Technology Intern
Oliver began interning at CHEJ in the Winter of 2020, and is working closely with Stephen Lester and Brave Bear Analytics on the Mni Wizipan Wakan Sacred Water Bundle Project. They are creating an interactive map showing water quality data surrounding the Missouri River Bio region on tribal reservations in South Dakota. The purpose of this map is to create a better understanding of the baseline water quality in the area and for local tribes to create stronger policies that would better protect and manage the river. Oliver is a 2019 graduate from Tufts University, and has a background in GIS and spatial statistics. They value combining both art and science to create engaging data visualizations and effective science communication with the public.
Grace Anderson
Science/Technology Intern
Elizabeth Goodiel
Community Organizing Intern
