Staff

Wendy Philleo, Executive Director
Wendy has been affiliated with New Dream for the last 10 years as a board member and donor. She brings 20 years' experience in the nonprofit and philanthropic fields in the areas of environment and natural resource management, community development, women's empowerment, advocacy, and civic engagement. Prior to joining New Dream, Wendy ran a philanthropy and nonprofit consulting business. She also worked as a program officer at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, focusing on protecting freshwater, public lands, and wilderness in the west. Prior to that, she served as a program officer at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation where she designed and ran a $25 million, five-year cross-cutting initiative on population, health, and environment. Before working in philanthropy, Wendy was a program officer at the World Wildlife Fund working on the adoption of a priority-setting strategy for global biodiversity conservation (Global 200) and on developing an ecoregional approach to conservation. She has also worked for WorldWIDE Network (Women in Development and Environment) and for the United Nations Environment Programme. She received her B.A. from the University of Colorado and her M.A. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Wendy enjoys being outdoors, hiking, mountain biking, camping, and running. She also enjoys squash, art (painting and drawing), and spending time with her family. Wendy lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, with her husband, two children, and two cats.

Lisa Mastny, Senior Editor and Director of Publications
Lisa comes to New Dream with nearly 20 years' experience in the environmental and sustainability fields. She worked for six years as a researcher at the Worldwatch Institute, where she focused on issues of green purchasing and consumerism, sustainable tourism, and environmental governance, and was co-director of the report State of the World 2004: The Consumer Society. Lisa has served as senior editor at Worldwatch since 2005, providing editing support for World Watch magazine, the Worldwatch report series, as well as occasional reports for the U.N. Environment Programme, U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, REN21, and other international organizations. Lisa also provides editing support to the consumer rights group Food & Water Watch and has worked briefly at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and with Greenways/Zelene Stezky, a group seeking to promote cultural preservation and sustainable tourism in the Czech Republic. She received her B.A. in International Studies from Johns Hopkins University, her M.A. in International Relations from Yale University, and her M.E.M. in Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

In her spare time, Lisa enjoys spending time outside and volunteers on the board of the Sustainability Alliance of Southwest Colorado in Durango, Colorado, where she lives with her husband and young daughter.

Wen Lee, Director of Online Media and Engagement
Wen hails from the San Francisco Bay Area. She is passionate educating people about the environmental, social, and political impacts of our purchasing decisions. She has spent over five years in the education field, teaching students from ages 5 to 25. She loves using the web as a tool to reach out to people and engage them into action. She is also an independent filmmaker and has produced numerous web videos about sustainability and conscious consumerism. One of her most recent works is KNOW YOUR STUFF! What's in a cup of coffee. In addition to being working with New Dream, she is also a Presenter with the Alliance for Climate Education. Wen holds a B.A. in Biology from Occidental College and an M.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Oregon.

Wen loves being outdoors, eating vegan food, playing music, and trying something new at least once a week.

Guinevere Higgins, Director of Development
Guinevere joined New Dream in March 2012 as Director of Development. Prior to her work with New Dream, she was Program Officer at the WestWind Foundation, a small, family foundation with program areas in Environment and Reproductive Health & Rights. She has also taught ecology and food studies at a Quaker high school, provided research analysis for Environmental Health News, and managed a small organic farm. In addition to her position with New Dream, she is an organic and edible gardening consultant and helped found Charlottesville, Virginia’s thriving school garden program, City Schoolyard Garden.

Guinevere holds a Bachelor’s degree in Peace and Justice Studies from Wellesley College and lives in Charlottesville, VA with her husband and two dogs.

Anna Awimbo, Director of Collaborative Communities Program
Anna is an expert on issues related to the impact of technological and cultural changes on the economy, society, and the environment. She has more than 20 years of experience identifying and developing effective alternative systems to address poverty, unemployment, and climate change. She has also been a long time advocate for sustainable food production. During her career she has worked for, among other organizations, RESULTS Educational Fund, the Foundation on Economic Trends, WorldWIDE Network (Women in Development and Environment), the United Nations Environment Programme, and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Much of her work has involved designing, spearheading, and managing national and global campaigns aimed at developing strong networks and building sustainable economies. Anna is also co-editor of the book New Pathways out of Poverty that explores strategies to bring clean energy solutions and actionable information to the poor.

In her free time, Anna enjoys volunteering at her children’s school in Maryland where she has led the effort to launch a green neighborhood initiative and build an outdoor classroom and garden.

Casey Williams, Development Associate and Office Administrator
An outdoor enthusiast and lover of people, Casey has dedicated her career to building the capacity of communities to preserve the natural world. Having spent the last 15 years developing workshops related to environmental monitoring, natural resource management and land revitalization, Casey is skilled in using community engagement and collaborative decision-making to develop strategies to address environmental issues.

Prior to joining New Dream, Casey managed the Virginia Natural Resource Leadership Institute for UVA’s Institute for Environmental Negotiation. She has helped to figure out creative ways to reuse old industrial properties across the country, developed conservation strategies for a 2300-acre farm in Albemarle County, Virginia, and conducted wetland and stream restoration programs for Audubon International and the Izaak Walton League. She enjoys pointing out and identifying all kinds of stream critters for her fascinated twin daughters and husband during family hikes along the Blue Ridge mountains.

Casey is a “double Hoo,” holding a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and a Master’s degree in Urban and Environmental Planning from the University of Virginia.

Ryan Dwyer, Research Intern
Ryan graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2012 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a minor in Philosophy. He helped co-found and edit an undergraduate academic journal at his university - one of few such publications in the country. His studies have focused on the interaction of social psychology, sustainability, and well-being. After graduating, he attempted to drive around the United States in an old VW van using collaborative consumption services to share rides and other underused resources along the way. As the middle of seven children, his interest in the sharing economy seems logical. His many academic interests have caused him to become an avid reader, although he does find time to ski, rock climb, and pursue the many other wonders of the outdoors.

Ryan lives in Reno, Nevada, where he enjoys the simple pleasures of life- being with friends and family, learning new things, and staying active.

Sarah Parkinson, Graphic Design Intern
Sarah spent much of her childhood wandering the New Hampshire woods and playing with art supplies in her basement. From those indoor and outdoor explorations grew two of her primary passions, environmental work and design.

Sarah graduated from Dartmouth College in 2009 with a BA in Environmental Studies and a concentration in Studio Art. As part of her degree, she spent time in southern Africa studying ecology and conservation and also lived on a research sailboat in the Caribbean to study marine science. After graduating, Sarah moved to a remote atoll in the Marshall Islands to teach high school English. She has also spent time conducting ecology research, teaching wilderness science, and working at a biotech company.

Sarah currently lives in Vermont and works as the Communications Manager at the Donella Meadows Institute. She loves pursuing design projects, spending time outside, letterpress printing, gardening, and experimenting with new recipes.

Edna Rienzi, Volunteer
Edna is a former lawyer and current stay-at-home mom. She is passionate about focusing on “more of what matters” in her life, which is what led her to volunteer with New Dream. She received her undergraduate degree from Princeton University in politics, with certificates in Latin American Studies and Political Theory. She has her master’s in political science from Yale University, and a law degree from Harvard University. In her precious free time, she loves reading everything from Harry Potter to positive psychology studies to poetry, listening to Mumford and Sons, and cooking adventurous dishes that her kids often refuse to eat.

Kim Knuppel, Volunteer
Kim is a library assistant and accounting student from Wisconsin. She enjoys reading nonfiction books on almost any subject, volunteering, and living a simple and frugal life.

Mary Murphy, Volunteer Regional Coordinator for Maryland
Mary has more than 15 years in education as a high school history teacher in Maryland and she currently works for a nonprofit that offers services to maintain senior independence. She holds an M.A. in American Studies from the University of Maryland and is a graduate of Impact Silver Spring’s leadership training program. She co-chaired Silver Spring, Maryland’s first open-space conference on “Building a Diverse Community” and joined other community members in the revitalization efforts of downtown Silver Spring. She recently served on the Silver Spring Citizens’ Advisory Board and helped organize a tasting event to support local, small restaurants. In her free time, Mary enjoys being with family, hiking, biking, ping pong, and yoga.