Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice

Staff

Mark Mitchell, M.D., MPH Dawn Simonsen Joe Wasserman Norbert Kovacs Ed Grant Sheri Neely

Dr. Mark Mitchell (mark.mitchell@environmental-justice.org) is a physician specializing in epidemiology and public health, including environmental health. He grew up in St Louis, Missouri, earned his M.D. degree at the University of Missouri at Kansas City and his Masters Degree in Public Health at the Johns Hopkins University. He also completed his Preventive Medicine Residency at Johns Hopkins. Dr Mitchell served as Deputy Director of the Kansas City, Missouri Health Department for 7 years, before coming to Hartford where he was Director of Health for 4 years. He is also founder and President of the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice. He has been a member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Environmental Justice Advisory Committee in addition to serving on the Board of Directors of the American Lung Association of Connecticut and the Hispanic Health Council. He chairs the Hartford Advisory Commission on the Environment. His work is focused on environmental justice, asthma and air pollution.
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Dawn Simonsen (dawn.simonsen@environmental-justice.org) started volunteering at CCEJ in July of 2004. Coming from a background of customer oriented jobs she fell right in step with doing mass mailings, answering phones, calling members, and learning office computer skills.  That fall she accepted a part-time position which grew in hours and responsibilities, including our First Annual Environmental Justice Conference October 29, 2005.  She was a full-time employee by then.  Assistant organizer, cook, do anything that needs to be done, Dawn is very environmentally friendly by using mass transit or walking.  She loves the challenge to do whatever was done before better each time.
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Joe Wasserman (joe.wasserman@environmental-justice.org) is currently a community organizer with CCEJ. He gives support to CCEJ members in their work to educate the community, advocate for legislation and organize their neighbors around environmental justice issues. He has been a community organizer in Hartford for about 18 years and has worked with community groups in other states.
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Norbert Kovacs (norbert.kovacs@environmental-justice.org) is our full-time development officer and web guru. Norbert previously worked as a consultant and grants coordinator for TEAM,Inc. in Derby, CT.
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Ed Grant, a New Haven resident, was hired in 2001 to be the part-time organizer of the newly formed New Haven Environmental Justice Network.  Mr. Grant is a World War II veteran and owner of Freddie Fixer Recycling.  He is a member of the Governor’s Footguard in New Haven.  Mr. Grant has been involved in community organizing around recycling and other environmental issues since the very first Earth Day in 1970.
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Sheri Neely (sheri.neely@environmental-justice.org) was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA but has lived in Connecticut for the past 3 years. She is now pursuing a degree in Educational Psychology while working as a full-time organizer for the Fairfield County Environmental Justice Network, CCEJ’s affiliate in Bridgeport, CT. She sits on the Youth Board at her church as well as the Youth Department.
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