Staff

Brendan Kearney (he/him)
Executive Director
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Brendan has led WalkMassachusetts since 2023 and been part of the organization since 2013 – first as development/communications manager, then as deputy director and co-executive director. In these roles, he coordinated the organization’s public engagement efforts to create safer streets for people walking, shared briefings with elected officials and reporters, and represented WalkMassachusetts on state and municipal working groups. He was a founding member of the City of Boston’s Vision Zero Task Force, and serves on MassDOT’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board (MABPAB). Brendan is also the lead author of our annual crash report, which documents pedestrian fatalities across Massachusetts and highlights patterns and trends to inform advocacy. A graduate of the College of the Holy Cross, he is an avid runner. He lives in Framingham with his wife, Hannah, and their dog Mavis.

Iolando Spinola (he/him)
Senior Program Manager
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Iolando Spinola joined WalkMassachusetts full-time in 2022 as Senior Program Manager. By engaging community groups, municipalities, and other partnering groups, Iolando promotes equitable mobility and improves pedestrian environments. His responsibilities include coordinating WalkMassachusetts’ technical assistance and community-based programs. Through these programs, Iolando assists stakeholders in becoming local champions for walkability. Among his current projects are the WalkMassachusetts Network, Connecting Children and Families to Parks in East Boston, and a community-engaged research program with Boston Medical Center. Previously, Iolando worked on services learning at Bentley University and community engagement at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. He earned a Master’s of Education in Community Engagement from Merrimack College in 2018. He graduated from Bridgewater State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology, Geography, and Political Science in 2012.

Jonny Gomez-Pereira (he/him/el)
Program Manager
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Jonny joined WalkMassachusetts as a Program Manager in 2023. He will be leveraging his bilingual grassroot community organizing experience in his home communities of Chelsea and East Boston to work alongside neighbors and residents to increase walkability and pedestrian safety.

Jonny currently holds a Bachelor of Arts in Botany and Anthropology from Connecticut College. His undergraduate studies were guided by themes of social and racial justice. As a homegrown organizer he has worked on Health Equity issues and Housing insecurity in his community. Jonny hopes to collaborate alongside neighbors to engage and advocate in city planning processes that would make communities equitable for all.

Emma Itri (she/her)
Development and Communications Manager
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Emma serves as WalkMassachusetts’ Development and Communications Manager, bridging grant strategy, event execution, and digital communications to advance safer streets statewide. Bringing over two decades of client relations and account management experience across Greater Boston—including past roles at the Museum of Science and Boston Children’s Museum—she leads key fundraising operations, grant prospecting, and foundation reporting. Emma drives the organization’s digital outreach through social media and e-newsletters, while spearheading major annual initiatives like the month-long Beat the Bay State challenge and the Annual Celebration & Golden Shoe Awards. Her transition to nonprofit development began in 2016 through small business strategy. Emma holds a degree from Bay State College and lives in Dover with her husband, Frank, and daughter, Melody.