Board
WalkMassachusetts deliberately recruits board members from a wide range of demographics and professional backgrounds, aiming to reflect the diverse communities in which we work, all across Massachusetts, and the many perspectives that contribute to achieving our mission.
If you are passionate about making communities safer and more welcoming for all who walk, and are interested in contributing to our mission, please reach out! Our board meets monthly, and we also have several committees that welcome members even without joining the board. We are in particular need of expertise in legal affairs, human resources, finance/accounting, technology and development.
Learn more here about our board and committees and how to express interest in joining.
Board members

Betsy Johnson now lives in Springfield, Mass., after living for many years in Boston’s South End. She has for over 40 years been community organizing related to pedestrian safety, neighborhood development, urban growing, recycling and composting, and air quality. She is the convener of WalkBike Springfield. She is a former teacher and worked for the American Lung Association, MassAudubon, Boston Garden Futures, American Community Gardening Association, Chefs Collaborative, and “green” engineering companies. She sees pedestrian advocacy as a unique cause, as walking improves not only health, but also our environment. WalkMassachusetts’ tagline of “Community, Mobility, Access” says it all! She holds a BA from Smith College, a MAT from Brown University, and an MBA from the University of Missouri.

Linda Sharpe is a seasoned program manager and project leader who frames the right questions to guide teams and organizations to the right answers. Responsible for customer relations, costs and revenue, staffing, team building, and quality product delivery. Versatile consultant, researcher and systems analyst applying skills to business development, strategic planning, policy development, technology assessment, and business process reengineering teamed with senior executives in client organizations. In addition to the WalkMassachusetts board, Linda has been a valued contributor, as a current or former board member, to the strategic direction of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (The MIT Corporation), the MIT Alumni Association, and MAB Community Services (parent organization of the Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired).

Tony Wain is a retired Senior Lecturer at Babson College in Managerial Accounting. He joined the Babson faculty full time in 1999 after 10 years of management consulting with Touche Ross & Co. (now Deloitte) and 20 years of financial management with Digital Equipment Corporation/Compaq Computer Corporation. He has also served on the boards of Community Action Partners (CAP) of the Harvard Business School Association of Boston and the Native Plant Trust. Tony currently consults through CAP with local nonprofit agencies in the areas of general management, business plan development and management control systems. As a lifelong walker, he is compelled by WalkMassachusetts’ mission to make everyone in Massachusetts feel safe, connected, and valued on our streets. He earned a B.S. from Claremont McKenna College, a B.S. from Stanford University, and his M.B.A. from Harvard University.


Rounaq Basu is Professor of Transportation Planning in the School of City and Regional Planning at Georgia Tech. His research interests include sustainable city planning, integrated urban systems, and relationships among mobility access, economic opportunity, and quality of life. He is particularly interested in ways to reduce dependence on private automobiles without forgoing their accessibility benefits in order to facilitate sustainable metropolitan growth as well as transportation equity. His work draws on a wide variety of analytic methods to inform public policies in the mobility, housing, and land use sectors. One of his interests is to plan urban transportation systems that are safe, affordable, accessible, and sustainable for all users. To successfully realize this vision, scientific research must translate into policy action and one of the most effective ways to make that happen is through advocacy such as that of WalkMassachusetts. He holds a Ph.D. in Urban Science and Planning and dual Master’s degrees in Transportation and City Planning from MIT, and a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from IIT Bombay.

Marion Davis is an independent writer, editor and communications strategist working mainly on international climate and sustainable development issues. She previously served as senior communications officer for the Stockholm Environment Institute and as communications director for the Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition. Born and raised in San José, Costa Rica, she is a proud Latina, a city lover and a lifelong urban walker. She lives in East Somerville with her husband, two cats and multiple bikes, and joined Walk Massachusetts because she’s passionate about reclaiming the streets for people, so we can all walk (and bike) safely and comfortably. She also serves on the Somerville Urban Forestry Committee and on the board of REACH Beyond Domestic Violence.

As principal of Garfinkle Design since 1987, Nina Garfinkle has over 30 years of experience building brands through corporate identities, logos, annual reports, and websites. Nina extended her less-is-more philosophy to “Street Interface Design” making options to walk, bike, and take transit easier for people through signage/wayfinding systems, maps, educational materials, and advocacy development.
Nina has been a South End resident for 37 years. Active in her community, she is past board president of LivableStreets Alliance and Governance Committee Chair and currently serves on the board of WalkMassachusetts, where she chairs the Communications Committee. She is a former Membership Chair and Vice President of the American Institute of Graphic Arts/Boston Chapter and a founding member of the virtual community SouthEnd.org. She earned a BFA in Graphic Design from Boston University’s School of Fine Arts.

Paula Gold is Chief Regulatory Counsel of Plymouth Rock Assurance Company, a personal lines auto and homeowners’ insurance company. Before that she was a senior Vice President of New England Electric Company. She has also served in Governor Mike Dukakis’s cabinet as Secretary of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulations and served as an Assistant Attorney General and Chief of the Public Protection Bureau for Attorney General Frank Bellotti. Her first government position was as Commissioner of the Department of Public Utilities. Before her government service, she was a litigation specialist with the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute and a managing attorney with the Boston Legal Assistance Project. She is a graduate of Boston University and Boston College Law School.

Stephanie Grady is a doctoral candidate in environmental health at the Boston University School of Public Health, studying the impacts of transportation noise on aging populations. She previously worked at Brigham and Women’s Hospital on an epidemiologic study examining the effects of air pollution on health in Veterans with COPD. She is passionate about blending research with advocacy to answer critical public health questions, and is excited to put some of her public health training into practice as part of WalkMassachusetts. She has a strong interest in understanding how to collaboratively and sustainably change the built environment for better physical and mental health outcomes. She is a fervent advocate for safer, more accessible and walkable communities. She has a BS in Biology from Texas A&M University and an MPH in Epidemiology from Columbia University.

A resident of Massachusetts for nearly five years, Sharvi is an urban designer at a private firm in Boston. She earned a Masters degree in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University. While in school, she assisted at a public housing project for crime prevention through design under a program launched by NYC Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice. A true sidewalk enthusiast, she believes that an active public life is paramount for individuals, especially women, to feel safe and independent on the streets. She argues that well-designed pedestrian infrastructure can transform streets into extended living rooms, fostering stronger communities. This, in turn, has the potential to address urban loneliness, a burgeoning public health crisis in the United States.

Ann Hershfang was Undersecretary of Transportation for Massachusetts from 1983 to 1988 and a board member of the Massachusetts Port Authority (1974 to 1981) and the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority (1988 to 1998). From 2009 to 2014, she chaired the Oversight Council for the Massachusetts $3 billion Accelerated Bridge Program, which aimed to repair 200 structurally deficient bridges over 8 years. She was a Loeb Fellow in 1989 at Harvard Graduate School of Design. In 1990, she cofounded WalkBoston, the first pedestrian advocacy group in the United States.

Anita Johnson is a recently retired Assistant United States Attorney, District of Massachusetts. Prior to that position, which enforces and defends federal law, she served in the Justice Department Office of Consumer Litigation, the Environmental Defense Fund, and, out of law school, with Ralph Nader’s Health Research Group. She is a member of the Brookline Pedestrian Advisory Committee, an elected member of Brookline Town Meeting, and a Board member of the Brookline Greenspace Allliance.

Virginia LeClair is an environmental professional with over 23 of experience working in the field of sustainability for consulting companies, nonprofits and local governments. She has held positions with The Boston Harbor Association, the Town of Brookline and the Town of Dedham, and has worked with many communities to create Climate Action Plans, which act as roadmaps guiding them towards a sustainable future. She has experience in waste reduction and recycling, stormwater management, carbon emission calculations, energy efficiency, transportation planning and land and resource management.
Virginia also serves on the board of the Center for EcoTechnology and the Cohasset Open Space Committee. She holds a BA from Hobart and William Smith College.

Katharine Sullivan comes to WalkMassachusetts with an operational mindset and a joy for exploring local neighborhoods by foot. She is a member of Fidelity Labs’ Revenue Operations team and is excited to apply her business operations and marketing technology experience to help WalkMassachusetts meet its goals of improving pedestrian safety in Massachusetts.

Emma Rothfeld Yashar is a real estate attorney in the Office of the General Counsel at Mass General Brigham Incorporated and lives in Charlestown with her family.

Stefanie Seskin has been a fan of the organization for almost two decades and is excited to support WalkMassachusetts as a board member. She is inspired by the new strategic plan and adopted mission and its emphasis on partnerships and people. Stefanie currently works for the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) as the Director of Policy and Practice. She was previously with the City of Boston, helping to plan, design, and deliver projects that make streets safer for everyone, and National Complete Streets Coalition, where she helped build the movement for safer streets nationwide. Stefanie lives in Boston’s South End.

Sumeeta Srinavasan is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University. Her research interests are in understanding inequity of access to health, transportation and infrastructure. She teaches courses on spatial models and Geographic Information Systems. She earned her PhD from MIT, her Masters from UIUC and her undergraduate degree from IIT Kharagpur. In her spare time, Sumeeta can be found walking on any available sidewalk and likes to experience transit in every city that she visits. Sumeeta is looking forward to combining her hobbies with her research at WalkMassachusetts.

At Girls’ LEAP, May’s role as Executive Director encompasses strategic oversight of programs that fortify young women’s safety and leadership. Girls’ LEAP has nurtured a culture of empowerment, where workshop facilitation and conflict resolution are keystones to their success. Their team’s dedication has been pivotal in advancing the organization’s mission to reduce violence and foster resilience among participants.

Deanna Wu is a public health professional with experience working in local public health. She currently works for the Melrose Health Department, managing a state grant that aims to strengthen public health capacity and programming through shared staffing and funding. Prior to this, she worked at the Hudson Health Department and Cambridge Public Health Department. Deanna received a Master of Public Health degree in Health Policy Management from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Deanna is an avid bicyclist and is passionate about active modes of transportation. She joined the WalkMasshusetts board to help positively impact our built environment for improved health outcomes for all. Deanna is thrilled about this opportunity and she’s looking forward to learning from and working with the other board members and staff.