September 2021 Alumni Update
In this update…
Public Interest Network program updates: Read updates from campaign work across the country.
Alumni news: A baby, a wedding, new jobs and awards!
Public Interest Network program updates
Photo credit: Eric Wheeler via Flickr, CC-BY-NC-ND-2.0
With 1,300 buses slated to go 100% electric, Houston just became a lot greener
Texas is speeding to the front of the pack when it comes to zero-emission public transportation. On Aug. 26, Houston's transit authority officially approved a plan to transition the city's bus fleet to all-electric vehicles by 2030. Historically known for having some of the nation's worst air quality, Houston is working to change that narrative. The city's commitment to a zero-emission bus fleet will not only save hundreds of thousands of dollars in operating and maintenance costs, but it will also protect the health of Houstonians. “Today marks a sea-change in Houston’s transportation future," said TexPIRG State Director Bay Scoggins. "METRO has made one of the strongest commitments to public transit electrification in the nation." "We applaud their forward-thinking leadership; this is a great day for all Houstonians, not just the ones riding the bus." Read more.
PIRG Consumer Watchdog Director Teresa Murray
T-Mobile data breach compromises personal information of 54.7 million Americans
In the latest of a surge of hacks in recent years that are ultimately costing consumers billions, cell phone carrier T-Mobile announced on Aug. 20 that nearly 54.7 million Americans were affected by a hack of its records, up from its initial estimate of 48.7 million. The hackers, meanwhile, say the real scope of the breach is double that figure. Even more alarming, in some cases the information compromised included Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers. In response, PIRG published a tip guide for how those affected can protect themselves against identity theft or "phishing" scams (those calls or emails you get from someone posing as a company or service, trying to get you to divulge personal information). "When we sign up for a service or make an account online, we shouldn’t have to worry that our personal or financial information could be stolen at any moment," said PIRG Consumer Watchdog Teresa Murray. "That means we need stronger safeguards around personal data, and we need to keep giving consumers the tools to protect themselves in the meantime." Read more.
Environment Oregon State Director Celeste Meiffren-Swango (bottom, right) testified before state decision-makers for increased producer responsibility for plastic waste and a modernized recycling system in Oregon on Feb. 23. Photo credit: Staff
Oregon passes nation's second producer responsibility law
For decades, Oregonians and our environment have paid the price for plastic pollution. A new law shifts some of that cost to the plastics producers. On Aug. 6, Gov. Kate Brown signed the nation's second-ever producer responsibility bill into law. The legislation will require plastic producers to cover some of the costs of managing the waste their products become and also will also update the state's recycling system. The passage of Oregon and Maine’s producer responsibility laws this summer signals a shift to one of the most effective ways to remedy our plastic crisis. "For years, producers of wasteful single-use plastic products have somehow avoided paying up," said Environment Oregon State Director Celeste Meiffren-Swango. "This law begins to change that by requiring producers to start bearing some of the costs of the waste management system." In the next legislative session, Environment Oregon will champion policies that promise reduced production of the single-use plastics polluting our environment. Read more.
Photo Credit: Eric Fischer via Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-2.0
Chicagoans continue to pick up the tab for failing Peoples Gas program
Peoples Gas, a gas utility subsidiary in Chicago, continues to mismanage its pipe replacement project, and its customers are still picking up the financial slack. Its second-quarter report released on Aug. 20 showed that Chicagoans are paying $13.14 per month for this program, a surcharge that's more than 11 times the amount that the Legislature told customers they would pay back when they approved the surcharge in 2013. This fee accounts for 17 percent of the average customer's bill and is almost as expensive as the gas itself. This also marks the 14th consecutive quarter that the pipe replacement project is behind schedule and over budget. "It's time to end automatic gas utility surcharges forcing Chicagoans to pick up the tab for this failing program and shielding Peoples Gas from accountability,” said Illinois PIRG Education Fund Director Abe Scarr. "Illinois needs to marshall all its resources to reach our climate and clean energy goals, not waste billions of dollars on mismanaged fossil fuel infrastructure projects and excess utility profits." Read more.
Alumni News
Olivia
Tom & Tia
Lindsey & Peter
Weddings & Babies
Lisa Gilbert and her husband, Brent, welcomed Olivia to the world in late May in Washington, D.C.
Tia (Lebherz) Flemming married Tom Flemming on June 6 in Carmel Valley, California, at a small COVID-safe gathering with family and friends.
Lindsey Hodel married Peter Soar on June 19 in Crested Butte, Colorado. The couple met in true Colorado fashion while riding their mountain bikes, far away from a trailhead or cell reception. Due to COVID, the ceremony and reception remained small, though Monica Piergrossi was there to help the couple celebrate!
Movers & Shakers
Lindsey Allen is the new executive director at Climate and Land Use Alliance.
Laura Barrett is retiring from the Massachusetts Teachers Association after 23 years. She is excited to be able to spend more time with family and friends and to take on non-political creative projects.
Crystal Bergemann has a new job as senior advisor to the secretary for climate at HUD.
Andy Buchsbaum has a new job as vice president at One Federation.
Gabriella Camargo is now the communications director at the Economic Security Project.
Jim Cubie, one of the founders of MaryPIRG, invites fellow alumni to visit his blog: https://birdfriendlyyards.net/blog.
Carrie Doyle has joined the Hewlett Foundation as a senior fellow in the environment program.
Brad Dakake has moved to the Denver metro area to work as an energy account executive for large companies and municipalities at Originating Solar + Storage.
Thomas Fogel moved to Los Angeles to attend the USC Gould School of Law, where he has been named as one of eight public interest scholars.
Sarah Grimes has a new role as the climate officer at Wiltshire Council in the U.K.
Eva Hernandez-Simmons is the new managing director of Sierra Club.
Bill Hinchberger reports he will teach several undergraduate and graduate courses this semester on topics including ethnography, multimedia communication, and business communication at the Université Gustave Eiffel. Pre-pandemic, Bill kept busy partly by conducting training courses for professional journalists in Africa, sponsored by the U.S. State Department. He has also taught at CELSA, the graduate school of communication of the Sorbonne. Bill is looking for opportunities to spend 6-12 months at different universities, teaching journalism, communications, languages, and political science (his undergrad degree). You can reach him at billhinchberger@yahoo.com with any leads or to reconnect.
Sarah Houston has been named the executive director of Protect Our Aquifer in Memphis.
Tracie Konopinski is now a lead recruiter with NRG Consulting Group.
Adam Lioz has been named senior policy counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
Margaret McCall has joined the customer success team at eIQ Mobility (Next Era).
Kady McFadden has a new position as senior adviser at Conlon Public Strategies.
Larry McNeely has a new job as the policy director at the Primary Care Collaborative.
Cailyn Nagle just started as the open education resources program manager at The Michelson 20MM Foundation.
Meredith (Small) Parnell has a new role as an attorney for the newly formed Elias Law Group LLP.
Bill Shireman has launched a new group called In This Together: Building Bridges which describes itself as “a bipartisan group of individuals who want to bridge the divide in order to solve our planet’s most pressing issues.”
Colleen Spivey is the new leadership and legacy giving manager at Maine Audubon.
Kathleen Sullivan is the new executive director of OpenHouse SF.
Linda Trey is joining the Union of Concerned Scientists Chicago office as the community and partnerships organizer for their clean transportation program.
David West — an alum of the National Student Campaign Against Hunger & Homelessness, the National Student Action Center, the Fund canvass, MarylandPIRG, OSPIRG, and the DC bottle bill initiative — reports he has returned to full-time organizing with the Montgomery County Education Association in Maryland after 30 years of teaching social studies in the Montgomery County Public schools. You can reach Dave at 2017pmzq@gmail.com.
Nathan Willcox has a new position as managing director with Advanced Energy Economy.
Call for submissions for the next alumni update
Made a career move? New addition to the family? Send in your updates and related photos for the next alumni update! And if you've moved recently, please send us your new postal mailing address so we can keep you in the loop.
