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 Director 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.

Mike is the Communications Manager for LES Ecology Center. He manages the center’s outreach and public facing channels, including the social media accounts, email newsletter, website, and press. He studied Environmental Thought & Practice and English at the University of Virginia. Prior to starting in this role, he worked at Environment America, New Era Colorado, and the Natural Resources Defense Council, advocating for state and federal sustainability and climate policies. Outside of work, he enjoys just about any excuse to get outside, from hiking and camping to kayaking and biking.

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 the 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.

Rojanaye is an E-Waste Associate with the Ecology Center. She holds a degree in Computer Science and has always had a passion for technology as well as the environment. She is excited to integrate the two toward the responsible disposal of technology at the end of its life cycle. Rojanaye assists the E-Waste team by identifying and sorting our donated items and answering all questions with a smile. When she is not with the Ecology Center, she enjoys reading and taking care of her collection of house plants.

Christine Datz-Romero is a Co-founder 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. 

Gretel is the Street Tree Care Operations Coordinator. They take care of young trees and run tree care volunteer events around the neighborhood. Gretel grew up in the forests of Vermont, and moved to New York in 2021 to pursue a BA/BFA in Interdisciplinary Science and Communication Design from the New School. Over the past few years they have been building gardens, biking around the city, cooking, tinkering, and dancing whenever they can.

Natalie Eddings is the Food Justice Education Coordinator with LES Ecology Center. She leads food systems workshops for students & adults, coordinates SYEP, surveys the community about their food access experiences, and manages our small food garden. She is an artist, educator, and land steward from Memphis, TN. She is passionate about youth development and encouraging sustainable relationships between people and land. Outside of work, you can find Natalie guerilla gardening, in her studio, or strengthening her home improvement skills.

Hadas Fischer is the Street Tree Care Manager at the Lower East Side Ecology Center, where she leads community-driven stewardship, volunteer programs, and educational initiatives that support our urban forest. With a background in modern urban history and experience as Manager of Interpretation at the Central Park Conservancy, she has developed a deep appreciation for the role trees play in the social and natural ecologies of New York City.

A licensed New York City tour guide, Hadas appreciates city streets for their place in the great public realm. She sees street trees as true New Yorkers – tough, adaptable, and resilient, with a need for community and mutual care. Hadas is committed to cultivating civic action from the soil up and advancing urban sustainability through stewardship, education, and collective responsibility.

Outside of work, Hadas can often be found exploring the city on foot or by public transit, discovering new corners, sampling vegan eats, frequenting local shops, or geocaching.

Echo is a Community Engagement Coordinator. They teach Master Composter classes and compost education workshops, coordinate Master Composter field trips and volunteer events, and provide 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 is an Operations Coordinator at  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 Development Manager at Ecology Center. 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 bird-watching 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. When not working, Lia is cycling, loves learning about different cultures through food, and enjoys listening to NYC-based Latinx music artists.

Madison “Maddy” is the Street Tree Care Coordinator at the Ecology Center. She leads street tree care workshops, builds community partnerships, and manages the Coolest Block in the Lower East Side contest. 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.

Lateshia Peters is a Stewardship Coordinator with the Ecology Center. They lead recurrent landscape management events in East River Park, Tompkins Square Park, and Pier 42. They, also, co-facilitate youth-oriented horticulture programs in the spring and summer seasons. They hold a BA from Claremont McKenna College in Biology and Philosophy and have since worked roles at environmental justice organizations such as New York Restoration Project and BK ROT. She is passionate about accessible science education, land stewardship, and food justice. When they aren’t teaching or pruning, Lateshia likes to crochet, cook, go birding, and DJ.

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 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.

Lauren is one of the Ecology Center’s Compost Associates. She helps run food scrap drop-off sites at Union Sq. and Tompkins Sq. Greenmarkets, and provides public education and outreach around compost and sustainability. With a background in art and library archives, her passion for food justice and rebuilding our soils led her to complete the NYC Compost Project’s Master Composter Course, as well as a Farm and Compost Apprenticeship with Earth Matter on Governors Island. As an avid gardener and home cook, she’s always dreaming up different ways to use veg and share her love for food with others.

Jermaine is the Compost Operations Manager 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.

Stephen is the Stewardship Manager at the Ecology Center. He leads stewardship activities and oversees the maintenance of our green spaces in East River Park, Tompkins Square Park, and Pier 42. He is passionate about native plants; he is hoping to introduce more local species and bring more beneficial insects into our gardens. He was previously a Zone Gardener at New York Restoration Project where he would steward community gardens across the city and collaborate with garden groups to ensure successful growing seasons. When he is not working in one of our green spaces he enjoys playing basketball, skateboarding, collecting records/tapes, gardening, and biking across the city.

Zev is the Compost Associate with the Ecology Center. He works at the Union Sq. and Tompkins Sq. Greenmarkets, collecting food scraps, fielding questions about compost, and making friends with market regulars. Zev holds a BA in environmental studies and religion from Middlebury College, where he entwined scientific, phenomenological, and ancestral streams of knowledge to explore the many ways humans relate to the animacy of all living beings. His thesis, written about the ongoing extinction of Ash trees, included a plan to reforest a section of the campus’ main quad. Born in Manhattan and raised in New Haven, CT, Zev is happy to return to the wildness of this urban ecosystem after a decade living away from cities. Zev has taught in classrooms, led seminars with young adults in field programs, and worked on educational farms, homesteads, and political campaigns. They love to play guitar, forage in urban spaces, craft, garden, and sing with friends.