MyRWA staff at the Mystic Lakes Dam in May 2024. From left to right: Marissa Zampino, Karina Ramos, Cat Pedemonti, Andy Hrycyna, Julie Wormser, Shelly Liebetreu, Dave Queeley, Patrick Herron, Karl Alexander, Sushant Bajracharya, Jennifer Delgado, Daria Clark, and Ranida McKneally
When I arrived at MyRWA in March 2018, seemingly as a short-term consultant, there were five full-time and three part-time employees. After working with Patrick for a month to help lay the groundwork for MyRWA's climate resilience efforts, neither of us wanted me to leave. We were able to secure a nine-month proof-of-concept grant from the Barr Foundation to launch the Resilient Mystic Collaborative. The RMC has now expanded into one of the most successful regional climate resilience partnerships in the United States, thanks to the talent, commitment, and good will of municipal and non-profit staff and community leaders across the Mystic Watershed.
Six years later, MyRWA has grown into a staff of twenty fiercely brilliant, good-hearted people. Resilient Mystic Collaborative communities have secured almost $140 million in grant funding for on-the-ground investments to help our most vulnerable people and public services prepare for extreme rainfall, heat waves, and coastal flooding. It has been the happiest chapter of my career, and I'll deeply miss being part of this team.
On October 1st, I'll join the City of Cambridge as its first Chief Climate Officer. I never could have imagined taking on this position without everything I've learned over the past six years. Although Cambridge is less than seven square miles in size, it holds a critical mass of people interested in both innovation and public service. I look forward to continuing to work with Mystic (and now Charles!) River cities and towns to find and share solutions that help our communities become more beautiful and equitable as we do the hard work of decarbonizing and preparing for extreme weather.
See also: Julie’s remarks in the Boston Globe about taking on the role of Cambridge’s first Chief Climate Officer.
