Melinda is a stewardship coordinator with the Ecology Center. She leads stewardship activities in East River Park and has developed educational workshops such as weed walks, native plant tours, and citizen science projects such as the Audubon Christmas Bird Count. Melinda is a longtime Lower East Side resident who holds a BFA from Pratt Institute. Additionally, Melinda has a background as a textile designer, photographer, and artist, and her work is inspired by an appreciation for the natural world in an urban setting. Her recent work includes a series of hand-painted and hand-printed scarves that focus on street trees as well as ongoing photographic documentation of East River Park, the Lower East Side, and the birds and habitat of Great Gull Island.

Jennifer is the education manager for the Ecology Center. She develops the organization’s environmental education programs and community education partnerships, and through her work she brought to life the Food Justice Program. She holds an MA in environmental conservation education from New York University and previously taught educational programs at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and served as the director of programs for Trail Blazers. She is dedicated to connecting youth with their local environment and instilling stewardship values that last a lifetime. When she isn’t working, she can usually be found biking around Brooklyn, camping, or experimenting in her kitchen.

Azra is a Curbside Compost Outreach Coordinator. She embarked on her climate journey through food justice work in San Jose, California. In 2016, she served as an AmeriCorps volunteer with La Mesa Verde’s urban gardening network, igniting her passion for composting.

When she’s not advocating for sustainable practices, Azra loves to travel, whether exploring solo or sharing adventures with loved ones. On weekends, you can find her drinking a cortado, people-watching and food crawling with friends throughout NYC. She also enjoys rewatching videos of her adorable nephew, which always brings a smile to her face!

Oliver is a e-waste associate with the Ecology Center. You can find Oliver across NYC, helping to run our e-waste collection events. He joined the Ecology Center as a volunteer when he was 11 years old, where he mastered the basics of e-waste identification, sorting, and palletizing while refurbishing stereo equipment. Oliver has been given the nickname “McGuyver” because he always seems to have a tool or special technique for solving problems. Oliver collects and restores vintage stereo equipment and salvages speakers to study their design. He is a recent graduate of Adelphi University with a BFA in studio art. He specializes in sculpture made from found objects.

Renée is deputy director of the Ecology Center. She supports the organization’s strategic planning, coordinates the overall flow between the programs and staff, and teaches the occasional natural dyeing workshop. Having worked with community-based programs for over 10 years, Renée has collaborated with nonprofits, city agencies, artists, volunteers, youth, and more to advance the work of urban sustainability and build healthy communities. She holds an MS in city and regional planning from Pratt Institute and a BA in environmental and urban studies from Hamline University. Additionally, Renee has a creative practice in ceramics, weaving, sewing, and general craftiness.

Christine Datz-Romero is a cofounder and executive director of the Ecology Center. As a longtime resident of the Lower East Side, Christine has been dedicated to environmental activism by developing community-based recycling, education, and stewardship programs over the last three decades. She holds a bachelor of arts from Queens College and has done graduate work at the New School/Milano School for Nonprofit Management. As a member of NYC’s environmental community for more than three decades, Christine serves on various boards and is a past chair of the Manhattan Solid Waste Advisory Board. 

Echo (all pronouns) is one of LESEC’s community engagement coordinators. They teach Master Composter classes and compost education workshops, coordinate Master Composter field trips and volunteer events, and provide technical assistance, educational training, and support to community composters. He holds a BA in environmental studies from Vassar College and is in the process of obtaining a horticultural certification from Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Born in Manhattan but raised in a suburb of Atlanta, she has cultivated a deep love for the natural world and the urban ecosystem of NYC, and has done invasive species management, organic farming, environmental education geared towards adults and school aged kids, and worked with the compost project at Queens Botanical Garden as well. During their free time, Echo enjoys nature walks, foraging and herbalism, birding, botanical illustration and origami crafts, rock climbing, and yapping about films and media.

Jackie (he/him) is an Operations Coordinator at LES Ecology Center. He started volunteering with the organization in the summer of 2020, helping to steward and maintain East River Park. In addition to his work at the park, he also assisted with food scrap drop-offs and processing. In his free time, Jackie enjoys traveling, spending time with friends, and dining out.

Antonio is the Ecology Center’s development manager. He manages the organization’s fundraising efforts by developing corporate partnerships, our annual Fall Social, and private giving. Antonio has an MPA from City College, where he focused on nonprofit management. He loves to thrift—90% of his clothing comes from thrifting, and he hopes to make that 100%. When he is not working, you can catch him at a movie theater watching old movies and foreign films or doing crossword puzzles in Seward Park.

Lia is the community engagement manager at the Ecology Center. She oversees the planning and execution of the organization’s compost outreach and education efforts. Lia joined the organization in 2015 and has held multiple positions within the compost program, from the operational side to education. She holds a BS in environmental studies from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and is certified as a Master Composter and Citizen Pruner. She has received compost operator training from Earth Matter and the US Composting Council. Lia is an avid cyclist, loves learning about different cultures through food, and enjoys listening to NYC-based Latinx music artists.

Bridget is an operations coordinator with the Ecology Center. Bridget is responsible for overseeing the operations of our food scrap drop-off sites and coordinating volunteer workdays. Bridget majored in urban sustainability at Brooklyn College and minored in sociology. She is driven by her passion for environmental justice. Bridget has an affinity for the outdoors and loves camping, gardening, and going for nature walks to see the local flora and fauna.

Madison “Maddy” is the Ecology Center’s Street Tree Care Coordinator. She leads street tree care workshops, builds community partnerships, and manages the Coolest Block in the Lower East Side contest (coming to a block near you in 2025!). Maddy was born and raised in Alphabet City. Her love for the outdoors stemmed from park hopping with her Mom, visiting community gardens, and hiking from a young age. She’s previously been an environmental educator at the Hudson River Park and Trees New York, which inspired her love for urban forestry. She has a BA in Environmental Science with a concentration in Policy from Clark University and is a certified Citizen Pruner. When not looking at the trees, Maddy can be found reading, writing, and trying new food spots.

Shari is a project manager at the Ecology Center. She manages the administration of the NYC Compost Project’s Master Composter Certificate Course and creates new opportunities to build the network of Master Composters. Throughout the nearly 20 years that she has lived in NYC, she has been involved in many areas of sustainability. Shari loves to coordinate everything from an event to a trip with friends and is committed to reducing waste and spreading the word to others about being a friend to the environment. She is also actively involved in coordinating her local community-supported agriculture program and working toward a more equitable food system in NYC.

Teddy serves as Curbside Composting Outreach Coordinator and advises Manhattan residents on how to set up successful systems in their homes and buildings for recycling their food scraps with the Department of Sanitation. He holds a BS in Ecology from Rutgers University and an MA in Environmental Education from NYU. In his free time, Teddy loves to garden on his balcony and on his family’s property Upstate. A native New Yorker, he currently resides in Brooklyn

Nicole is an e-waste reuse technician with the Ecology Center. Nicole is responsible for the organization’s technical needs to keep the organization functioning and can also be found at e-waste collection events teaching others the importance of recycling electronic waste. Nicole is passionate about reuse and giving unwanted electronics a second chance at life. She enjoys finding awesome old electronics and creating something new out of them. When not at the Ecology Center, Nicole enjoys the simple things like spending time with family and friends, hiking, listening to music, and playing retro video games.

Jermaine is an operations coordinator with the Ecology Center. He ensures that our food scrap drop-off sites run smoothly and prepares finished compost for distribution. He joined the Ecology Center in 2017 as part of the electronics recycling program and transitioned to the compost program in 2020. Jermaine enjoys spending time with his wife and their two daughters and son.