The Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) is pleased to announce the addition of Erga Pierrette and Julie Ing Stern to the Board of Directors on October 20, 2021.
"As we grow and expand as an organization—we depend on a strong board of directors knowledgeable about our communities and the issues they are facing,” said Patrick Herron, Executive Director of MyRWA. “We are thrilled to welcome three such great advocates on to the board this year. Bringing a deep passion for a healthy environment and equity—this new slate of directors will help MyRWA as we undertake work today and for the future.”
Erga Pierrette is a licensed clinical social worker who is passionate about education and social justice. She earned a BSW from Salem State University where she became the First Black Woman Student Trustee and co-founded the Multicultural Student Association. She holds an MSW from Simmons University and is a licensed School Adjustment Counselor.
Erga is a co-convener for Malden Community Organizing for Racial Equity (MaldenCORE), Co-chair of the Malden Cultural Council, Mystic Valley Opportunity Center (MVOC) Advisory Board member, serves on the Executive Board of the Mystic Valley Area Branch NAACP, Chair of the Environmental Justice Committee, and is a member of the steering committee for Malden Reads.
“I am overjoyed about this opportunity, to becoming a part of MyRWA! I am looking forward to adding more partnerships to this amazing group and helping MyRWA reflect our various communities,” said Pierrette a resident of Malden.
Julie Ing Stern has been a huge fan of the natural world since childhood (she still has the rock collection she started in kindergarten). When she is not outside skiing, hiking, running, biking, traveling or just going for a walk, she is working as an acupuncturist. Julie is a Master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine licensed by the Board of Medicine in Massachusetts and also nationally certified for over 15 years. Since 2007, she has been a part of Global Alternative Healthcare Project (GAHP) and Global Healthworks Foundation (GHF) and has volunteered weeks of time every year in Indonesia, Nepal , Navajo Nation (AZ) and Guatemala.
During her time as a volunteer for MyRWA, Julie has counted herring, built tree swallow bird houses, painted the mural at the Mystic Lakes, collected local heat map data, helped with trivia contests, and represented MYRWA at Patagonia and other local events.
“I am excited about this new opportunity because I care deeply about the world around us, and can’t think of a better way to do some good than to work with a wonderful grass-roots group in my own backyard,” said Stern, new board member and resident of Winchester.
At the Mystic River Watershed Association annual meeting, Barbara Kessner Landau an attorney with Noble, Wickersham & Heart LLP and Karl Touet a principal at the environmental insurance brokerage firm of Twin Elms, LLC were also re-elected to second-terms on the Board of Directors. The board, which is now 18 members strong, is charged with organizational oversight, leadership in strategic planning and connecting to the wider community. MyRWA is led by professional staff and also organizes thousands of volunteers working together on a project-by-project basis.
