John W. Faro, Chair

John has recently moved from being the Park Supervisor at Lawrence Heritage State Park to Walden Pond State Reservation, both are divisions of the Commonwealth’s Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). In his capacity with LHSP, John oversaw and maintained all State-owned park and open space infrastructure in Lawrence. John has been instrumental in forging project-based and programmatic partnerships with GWL. He is currently working on a joint initiative with GWL, the City, Commonwealth, and local partners to create new riverfront trails along the Merrimack River.

Eli Levine, Treasurer

Eli is Vice President of Acquisitions for the Brownfields Recovery Group, a private firm located in downtown Boston. In this capacity, he has extensive experience in brokering land transactions and the purchase and sale of contaminated parcels. Eli’s professional expertise has helped GWL inform its acquisition and redevelopment of vacant and contaminated parcels for open space, park, and community garden end-uses.

Rosa Lopez, Clerk

Originally from Lawrence, Rosa is Senior Human Resources Representative for the New Balance Company, which operates a factory and retail store in Lawrence. In this capacity, Rosa has helped facilitate the hands-on involvement of hundreds of New Balance employees in GWL's annual community service events, including the Spicket River Greenway Cleanup. Currently a member of the Merrimack Valley YMCA Executive Board, Rosa maintains strong connections to a number of non-profit organizations in the region, particularly those that serve local youth, and works to support the strong role they play in providing essential services to the Lawrence community. Rosa has volunteered for the Boston Public Library system as an English Communication Skills teacher and was nominated for the Tribute to Women award given by the YWCA of Greater Lawrence in 2006. Rosa is fluent in English and Spanish.

Thomas Craig Guerra

Thomas, a Lawrence resident, is the Executive Assistant at Lawrence CommunityWorks. Thomas completed his undergraduate studies at MIT in Urban Studies & Planning (DUSP) with a focus in Environmental Policy. While at MIT he helped restructure the Undergrad Curriculum as the Undergraduate Representative on the DUSP Student Council, hosted Michele Gondry as a MIT Fine Arts Representative, and studied abroad in Madrid, Spain. Thomas also worked for One Laptop per Child (OLPC) as a software developer. Before college he volunteered for 5 years with Bexar County Housing & Human Services helping families learn to be more energy efficient and receive government-funded utility assistance. Thomas speaks English, Spanish and is learning Japanese.

Deborah Keane Higginbottom

Deborah is the I.S. Network / PC Support Coordinator, at Lawrence General Hospital, where she has worked for over 20 years. A life-long resident of Lawrence, Deborah is very active in the city and currently serves on Lawrence CommunityWork’s Union Crossing Committee and is a member of the Mount Vernon Neighborhood Association as well as St. Patrick’s Church. Deborah has long served as a volunteer at GWL events including GLOW and Canal IllumiNations and she also volunteers with St. Patrick's School and Youth Group.

Michelle Macaux

Michelle is the Founder and Principal of RedPoint Consulting where she leverages her expertise in group dynamics and behavioral change to help small- and medium-sized enterprises identify, understand, and overcome the unique challenges that rapidly-growing companies face in today’s global market. Michelle advises clients on a broad array of business matters, including strategic growth, marketing and business development, team building, cultural change and process development. Her experience includes a variety of industries, from global product companies to local software developers, and spans the U.S., Latin America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Before launching RedPoint Consulting, Michelle spent seven years working in marketing and business development, with a focus on strategic market positioning and growth strategy. She received her MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management and she also holds a B.A. in psychology from Washington University in St. Louis.

Rebecca Veilleux

Rebecca, a resident of Lawrence, is an Urban Ecology and Biology Teacher at Lawrence's Humanities and Leadership Development High School. As a teacher at LHS, she serves as an advisor for the Dirty Hands Club, a group of students dedicated to raising environmental awareness among their peers, supporting environmental enhancement in the local community, and maintaining LHS's new schoolyard garden. Rebecca just won the 2010 High School Conservation Teacher of the Year Award given by Mass Audubon in conjunction with the New England Farm and Garden Association. In January (predecessor of the Dirty Hands Club) was invited to the First Earth Summit on Biodiversity for Kids in Quintana Roo, Mexico, where the youth shared the findings of their ecological assessments of Lawrence’s Spicket River. Rebecca holds a B.S. in Environmental Biology and a M.Ed. in Secondary Education from Salem State College.

Karen C. Wood

Karen recently joined the Conservation Law Foundation as the Director of Communications. A volunteer with GWL for two years, Karen brings tremendous communications and marketing expertise to the organization. She has helped GWL promote and grow its community food programs designed to address food insecurity and associated public health implications. Prior to her working with CLF, Karen served as Vice President of Corporate Relations for CNET Networks, Inc., a role in which she oversaw internal communications and community relations. A passionate gardener and cook who enjoys growing and eating fresh food, Karen aims to assist GWL in tapping the power of social networks to create and disseminate information about programs that make high-quality, fresh, locally-grown food accessible to everyone.

Luis Yepez

Luis was born in Brooklyn, NY from Ecuadorian immigrants, he grew up in Worcester and is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. Luis is Vice President of Mainstream Global, a Lawrence company which is an independent distributor of integrated circuits, computer products, and other high tech commodities. The company is located in a Lawrence Renewal Community Zone and focuses on hiring many of its employees from the City and the surrounding towns. In addition to growing its business, Mainstream Global has invested in the purchase and redevelopment of over 200,000 square feet of mill space in Lawrence. Buildings that were run down, boarded up and abandoned are being converted to medical and professional office space. Luis also serves as a Board member with the Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce and Merrimack Valley Habitat for Humanity and is the President and founding member of the Association of Ecuadorians of New England.