MyRWA adds three new experts to Board of Directors

  The Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) is pleased to announce the addition of Terry Carter, Erga Pierrette and Julie Ing Stern to the Board of Directors on October 20.

  “As we grow and expand as an organization – we depend on a strong board of directors knowledgeable about our communities and the issues they are facing,” said MyRWA Executive Director Patrick Herron. “We are thrilled to welcome three such great advocates on to the board this year. Bringing a deep passion for a healthy environment and equity – this new slate of directors will help MyRWA as we undertake work today and for the future.”

  Carter is a seasoned Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) consultant who also writes and advises on specialized messaging for educational institutions, small businesses, nonprofits and individual clients in the areas of content development for web, marketing collateral, academic editing, book development and public policy. He currently manages the day-to-day operations of the Elder Services program at the historic West Medford Community Center, Inc., a neighborhood-based organization in one of Massachusetts’s oldest black communities. A classical-trained poet, Cater has authored and published five dynamic books of poetry. His books are available at brownskinnedpoet.net. He became Medford’s inaugural Poet Laureate in July of 2021 and will serve in that office until 2023.

  “Growing up in West Medford, the Mystic River has always been part of my backyard. We played by it, prayed by it, and learned to live with its limitations and possibilities. MyRWA has been in careful stewardship of this resource for nearly 50 years, and the investment of time, talent and treasure continues to yield extremely positive and visible results,” said Carter. “In my own small way, I hope to make a contribution to these ongoing efforts and help to bring new diversity and greater equity to the work and the communities it serves!”

  Pierrette is a licensed clinical social worker who is passionate about education and social justice. She earned a BSW from Salem State University, where she became the first Black woman student trustee and cofounded the Multicultural Student Association. She holds an MSW from Simmons University and is a licensed School Adjustment Counselor.

  Pierrette is a co-convener for Malden Community Organizing for Racial Equity (MaldenCORE), co-chair of the Malden Cultural Council, an Advisory Board member of the Mystic Valley Opportunity Center (MVOC), a member of the Executive Board of the Mystic Valley Area Branch NAACP, Chair of the Environmental Justice Committee and a member of the Steering Committee for Malden Reads.

  “I am overjoyed about this opportunity, to becoming a part of MyRWA! I am looking forward to adding more partnerships to this amazing group and helping MyRWA reflect our various communities,” said Pierrette.

  Stern has been a huge fan of the natural world since childhood. She still has the rock collection she started in kindergarten. When she is not outside skiing, hiking, running, biking, traveling or just going for a walk, she is working as an acupuncturist. Stern is a Master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine licensed by the Board of Medicine in Massachusetts and also nationally certified for more than 15 years. Since 2007 she has been a part of Global Alternative Healthcare Project (GAHP) and Global Healthworks Foundation (GHF), and she has volunteered weeks of time every year in Indonesia, Nepal, the Navajo Nation and Guatemala. During her time as a volunteer for MyRWA, Stern has counted herring, built tree swallow birdhouses, painted the mural at the Mystic Lakes, collected local heat map data, helped with trivia contests and represented MyRWA at Patagonia and other local events.

  “I am excited about this new opportunity because I care deeply about the world around us, and can’t think of a better way to do some good than to work with a wonderful grass-roots group in my own backyard,” said Stern.

  During MyRWA’s annual meeting, Barbara Kessner Landau, an attorney with Noble, Wickersham & Heart LLP, and Karl Touet, a principal at the environmental insurance brokerage firm of Twin Elms, LLC, were reelected to second terms on the Board of Directors. The board, which is now 18 members strong, is charged with organizational oversight, leadership in strategic planning and connecting to the wider community. MyRWA is led by professional staff and organizes thousands of volunteers working together on a project-by-project basis.