Advisory Board Members
Hana Creger, Senior Program Manager of Climate Equity, Greenlining Institute | Co-Chair
Hana Creger, Associate Director of Climate Equity, works on the development and implementation of policies and programs leading to clean mobility and climate resilience investments that will benefit low-income communities of color. She was the lead author of the Mobility Equity Framework, a tool that can be used to maximize equity outcomes and community engagement in transportation planning and decision-making. Hana was also the lead author of Clean Mobility Equity: A Playbook, a report outlining best practices, lessons learned and recommendations for advancing equity while decarbonizing the transportation sector. She serves on a number of advisory committees for cities, agencies, universities, and nonprofits for projects relating to shared mobility, public transit, electric mobility and autonomous vehicles. Hana holds a B.A. in sustainability from San Diego State University.
Jamie Pew, Climate Policy Advisor, NextGen Policy | Co-Chair
Jamie is NextGen Policy's Policy Advisor for climate and transportation, covering issues related to clean mobility, transportation justice, and climate-smart infrastructure. His work is focused on orienting state transportation spending toward achieving better outcomes: less traffic and climate pollution, more access to opportunity, and thriving, connected communities.
Prior to joining NGP, Jamie worked with local and regional governments in the Midwest and along the Gulf Coast researching best practices for adapting to climate change and building community resilience. Jamie holds an MS in Environmental Policy and Planning and a BA in Political Science from the University of Michigan.
Will Barrett, Senior Director of Clean Air Advocacy, American Lung Association in California
In his role as Clean Air Advocacy Director, Will Barrett leads the American Lung Association’s work on California’s landmark clean air and climate change programs, focusing on the clean air and public health benefits of sustainable transportation policies. Since joining the team in 2009, Mr. Barrett has represented the American Lung Association before the California Legislature and California Air Resources Board and has provided testimony before federal, state, regional and local agencies engaged in clean air and climate policy. Will has served as the public health representative on advisory panels convened by the California Air Resources Board, the California Energy Commission and other public agencies, and serves on the board of directors for the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies.
Eli Lipmen, Executive Director, Move LA
Eli joined the Move LA staff in August 2017 after working on the successful Measure M campaign in 2016. Eli was appointed Executive Director in 2022, having previously served on the Leadership Board for over six years. Eli has dedicated his life’s work to social change, from hunger to human rights to climate change to affordable housing. As a board member of ClimatePlan and co-chair of the South Los Angeles Transit Empowerment Zone (SLATE-Z) Transit Work Group, he is leading efforts in Los Angeles and across California to create more equitable public transportation. As one of five proponents of Measure ULA, Eli led the campaign for funding for affordable housing and tenant protections in the City of Los Angeles. Eli led Move LA’s campaign to successfully make LA Metro's ‘GoPass’ program permanent, providing fare-free transit for 1.3 million K-12 and community college students in LA County. He was honored by the TransitCenter for organizing national advocacy to achieve a more equitable Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the largest national investment in the public transportation system ever. Eli is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communications, the London School of Economics & Political Science, and the Coro Lead SoCal Fellowship program. Eli’s family of five lives in the City of Los Angeles, where they love to walk, bike, and ride public transit.
Sofia Rafikova, Policy Advocate, Coalition for Clean Air
Sofia joined the Coalition for Clean Air in 2022 and is working on protecting air quality, promoting a sustainable and equitable transportation system, and stopping the climate change crisis. Her work mainly revolves around working with transportation agencies to ensure California is funding projects that reduce vehicle miles traveled, reduce GHG and air pollutant emissions, and promote equity. She has also been active at the legislative level, calling for more funding to be awarded to active transportation and transit programs, and promoting bills that would reduce emissions in disadvantaged communities, improve agency accountability, and incentivize the switch to zero-emission vehicles. Recently, she has been engaged in calling for agencies to stop funding highway expansion projects which will only increase air pollution and contribute to climate change while worsening traffic. Sofia holds a Masters in Environmental Law and Policy from Vermont Law School and a BA in Environmental and Sustainability Studies from Bard College at Simon’s Rock.
Zack Deutsch-Gross, Policy Director, TransFormAn organizer by trade, Zack brings over a decade of local, state and federal advocacy experience to the policy team at TransForm. Born and raised in San Francisco, for Zack transportation is not just about getting from A to B, but fundamentally about how we engage with each other and build community. Zack is committed to lifting up the voices of the region's most marginalized communities to craft thoughtful, innovative policies that support an equitable, affordable, sustainable and thriving Bay Area for all.
Prior to joining TransForm, Zack was the Policy and Community Investment Director at San Francisco Transit Riders. He holds a Masters in Public Policy from UC Berkeley and a Bachelors in Community Studies from UC Santa Cruz. He currently serves on MTC’s Policy Advisory Council and on the board of I.T. Bookman Community Center. In his free time, he leads backpacking trips for the Sierra Club and is an avid soccer player and fan.
Kendra is the Executive Director of the California Bicycle Coalition, and has spent the past 15 years working to increase opportunities for everyone to safely bike, walk, and take transit. Kendra came to CalBike following seven years managing active transportation plans and corridor studies as a project manager for a consulting firm, and also spent several years in state government advising agency staff on active transportation planning, design, and programming. Kendra is certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), and holds an MS in Community Development from UC Davis and a BA in Sociology from UC Santa Cruz. She serves on the boards of the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals and the Sacramento Valley Section of the American Planning Association.
Carter advocates for zero emissions transportation options that support equitable access for all. Rubin leads NRDC's state-level transportation advocacy to ensure that transportation investments and policy support climate-friendly and equitable communities. He previously served for five years in the Los Angeles mayor’s office, working on transportation policy and public administration. Rubin earned his master's in urban and regional planning at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he focused on transportation, land use, and parking. He is based in NRDC’s Santa Monica office.
Laurel Paget-Seekins is a Senior Policy Advocate at Public Advocates working on transit and climate justice at the local, regional, and statewide levels in California. She is a member of the state Transit Transformation Task Force and staffs the Voices for Public Transportation coalition. Laurel started in public transit as an organizer in Atlanta working with riders and workers to improve transit service and address structural racism in transportation. She has a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Georgia Tech and was a post-doc at the Technical University of Munich and the Bus Rapid Transit Center in Santiago, Chile. Laurel worked for 6 years at the MBTA and MassDOT in the intersection of data, policy, and community engagement. She was a 2021 Open Society Foundations Leadership in Government fellow.