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ABOUT EGA

CONTACT US

We look forward to hearing from you!

Environmental Grantmakers Association
55 Exchange Place, Suite 405
New York, NY 10005
T: 646.747.2655
F: 646.747.2656

Rachel Leon
Executive Director
rleon@ega.org

Rachel Goldstein
Development Manager
rgoldstein@ega.org
contact on: grants, dues, event registration

Frances Pimentel
Operations Manager
fpimentel@ega.org
contact on: general inquiries, listserv, accounting

Jason K. Babbie
Membership Services Program Director
jkb@ega.org
contact on: membership services, event information

Franny Chiles
Program Coordinator
fchiles@ega.org
contact on: Tracking the Field, membership services, EGA Events

EGA Staff

Rachel Leon joined EGA as Executive Director in August 2009. As a senior manager with the JEHT Foundation in New York City, Rachel previously oversaw the foundation’s Fair and Participatory Elections Program. Prior to her work with JEHT, Rachel served as executive director of the New York State Common Cause, an organization dedicated to strengthening our democracy by encouraging the public to take action on critical policies.
Throughout her career, Rachel has prioritized collaboration and working in coalitions. She worked closely with numerous environmental organizations while at the helm at NYS Common Cause and published several studies that highlighted the role of money in politics and its impact on environmental issues. She also helped advance action on specific policies, like the New York State Bottle Bill, and legislation that toughened enforcement regarding lead poisoning in New York City. Both campaigns were ultimately successful and got a boost from coordinated research and advocacy.
With a background in anti-poverty and anti-hunger issues, Rachel also has significant experience assisting foundations with program development and strategic planning. After leaving JEHT, Rachel served as a consultant and strategic advisor to the Open Society Institute. Rachel currently lives in Croton on Hudson, New York with her husband and two children.

Rachel GoldsteinRachel Goldstein is currently the Development Manager at EGA, having served as the Membership Program Director from 2002 - 2007. She is also extremely close to finishing her doctoral dissertation from the University of Greenwich in southeast London, which explores alternative Jewish identities and political activism in New York City and London. Previously, she taught undergraduates on sociology, inequalities, and other social issues and helped organize for a graduate employee union at the University of Illinois. She has served on the board of Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, and successfully completed the 2004 New York City Marathon. Additionally, she enjoys yoga, running, volunteering, traveling, cooking, photography, live music, and dancing. Originally Midwesterners, Rachel lives in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York with her husband and son.

Frances Pimentel joined EGA in 2009 and brings her extensive experience in non-profit office management to her position as Operations Manager. Previously, she was the Office Manager at Connect and The Nature Conservancy. She was also the Program Coordinator for the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Council and worked for the Legal Aid Society. Originally from St. Croix, Frances was raised and educated in New York and earned her degree from the City University of New York with a concentration in industrial/organizational psychology. Currently living in Brooklyn, she is active in various aspects of urban agriculture and enjoys hiking, reading and traveling. 

Jason K. Babbie is the Membership Services Program Director at EGA, where he is responsible for helping members strategize and collaborate on their efforts, and working with staff and planning committee members to prepare the National Policy Briefings, Regional Briefings, and aspects of the Annual Retreats. Jason BabbieFrom 2000 to the start of 2008, Jason was the Senior Environmental Policy Analyst for the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), where he directed the organization's state-level clean air, energy, and global warming legislative and regulatory campaigns and all federal environmental activities. During his tenure at NYPIRG, Jason was instrumental in the state’s proposed carbon dioxide and final mercury emissions limits on power plants, energy efficiency standards for products and appliances, and clean renewable energy requirement, among other successful initiatives.

He was also an adjunct professor at Pace University teaching Environmental Politics and Policy for a semester, the Air and Energy Program Director at Environmental Advocates of New York, and a consultant to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. Jason is Chair of the Board of Trustees for Kids Against Pollution and a member of SustainUS’s Board of Directors. He was a member of the Board of Reviewers for the Queens Clean Air Project, member of the Brookhaven Clean Energy Task Force, and member of NYPIRG's Board of Directors. Jason holds an M.A. in Environmental Policy from Brown University and a B.S. in Environmental Studies, Policy and Management from the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry. In his spare time, he likes to hike, travel, visit museums and galleries, and eat good vegetarian food. He lives in Manhattan.

Franny Chiles is the Program Coordinator for the Environmental Grantmakers Association. She started at the EGA as an intern in the summer of 2008. Franny graduated with a B.A. in U.S. Politics and Government and Environmental Studies from the University of Puget Sound. While at UPS her thesis, "The Politicization of the EPA in the Bush Administration," received the researcher award for the best U.S. Politics senior thesis. Previously, Franny worked as an intern at Congressman Norm Dicks’ district office. She spent the spring semester of 2007 studying New Zealand Politics at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. In her spare time, Franny enjoys backpacking, skiing, tennis, and traveling. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area she currently lives in Manhattan. Franny hopes to continue with a career in environmental policy.

Fellows and Interns

Nicole Ardoin, EGA FellowNicole Ardoin is working as a Switzer fellow with EGA’s Enhancing the Field Program where her research focuses on funding for environmental education, education for sustainability, and related areas. Nicole is conducting interviews with foundation leaders to explore whether and how the traditional concept of environmental education may be taking different forms in programs emphasizing youth development, food systems and sustainable agriculture, and environmental justice, among others.

Nicole is currently completing her Ph.D. in Social Ecology at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, where her research examines the relationship among sense of place, environmental behavior, and ecoregion-scale conservation. The results of this work will be used by conservation organizations in planning and developing environmental education programs to be implemented at ecoregional scales.

Rachel Spiegel is an EGA Research Intern for the 2010 summer. Rachel is a 2nd year at University of California, Berkeley majoring in Environmental Economics & Policy with a minor in Global Poverty & Practice. She is interested in energy policy, international trade, and global development. At Cal Rachel is part of the Leadership Team of Berkeley Energy & Resources Collaborative (BERC), Undergrad, where she helps plan graduate panels, clean-tech field trips, and member gatherings for fellow undergraduate and graduate members interested in all things energy. She is originally from Santa Cruz, CA and this is her first time living in New York. During the summer she will help with the EGA Green Co-Op, Communications, and Membership Outreach, as well as develop her own Project Report. She enjoys exploring New York City, reading books and the morning newspaper, traveling, photography, and being with friends and family.

Jungen Yi is an intern for the EGA during the summer of 2010.  She is currently a senior at Boston College, majoring in Environmental Geosciences at Boston College.  While at Boston College, she has been actively involved in clubs like Geo Club, Sustain BC, and Real Foods BC that help advocate for a more sustainable campus and raise more campus awareness for current environmental issues.  She also has recently returned from a semester abroad at Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador and plans to continue traveling after she graduates.     

Consultants

Linda Ann SmithLinda Ann Smith
Event Planner
Environmental Resource Specialists, Inc.
T 303.690.4245


Miranda SpencerMiranda Spencer
Editorial Consultant and Freelance Writer

T 267.258.3328

 

 


Eisenkraft CPA & Consulting
274 Madison Avenue, STE 1106
New York, NY 10016
T 212.689.2655
gary@eisenkraftcpa.com

 

UC Consulting, LLC
P.O.BOX 4035
Sunnyside, NY 11104

Phone: 646-330-7686 / 917-450-2886
Fax: 866-221-9139

 

Photo Credits: Derek Chung, Virginia Clarke-Laskin, Rachel Goldstein, Johanna Hull, Kate Parvin, Jeanine Smalley, Linda Ann Smith, Jennifer Sun, Eric Waters.

 

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55 Exchange Place, Suite 405, New York, NY 10005 T 646 747-2655 F 646 747-2656 ega(at)ega.org