EMAIL
papren@umassmed.edu
QUESTIONS
Contact Us
It is necessary that the design, implementation, and maintenance of physical activity-promoting neighborhoods be equitable across social, economic, and demographic characteristics. The Equity and Resilience Work Group aims to define, describe, and guide equitable physical activity policies and evaluation. This includes but is not limited to: which neighborhoods receive policy or funding priority; understanding the resilience of communities to changes in the physical environment; housing and economic impacts of physical activity policy changes; (in)equality in neighborhood resources for physical activity; inclusionary practices for community engagement in the policy process.
Jennifer Idrovo and Tom Ebeling, Openlands
Jennifer Idrovo is the Community Outreach Coordinator at Openlands and works with communities on the Southwest side of Chicago to create green spaces and build advocates for nature. Jen collaborates with community leaders to co-create outreach and education programs tailored to fit the needs of each community. As an environmentalist of color and daughter of immigrants, it’s important for Jen to respect a community’s historical connection to nature and think about how she can incorporate that knowledge into her work. Before Joining Openlands, she was the Neighborhood Network Director at Latinos Progresando in Chicago leading the Marshall Square Resource Network, a 45-organization coalition focusing on health, education, peace, and capacity building. Jen holds a Bachelors of Arts in Public Policy and Law and Hispanic Studies from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.
Tom Ebeling is the Community Arborist at Openlands. As Community Arborist, he works to facilitate the community tree planting grants, helps coordinate tree maintenance and stewardship with TreeKeepers and other volunteers, and participates in the community outreach and education programs offered by Openlands. Before joining Openlands in 2019, he was a community forester for Forest ReLeaf of Missouri, a non-profit in St. Louis where he coordinated community tree planting projects, assisted in the management and operation of a community assisted nursery, and engage in public outreach and education. Tom is an ISA Certified Arborist with a background in urban & community forestry and he enjoys public engagement. He is also an International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborist (MW-5804A). A recent transplant to Chicago, he likes to spend time exploring the city’s public green space, waterways, art scene, and neighborhoods. Tom earned his B.S. in Urban Forestry and a Minor in Plant Sciences from the University of Missouri, Columbia.
Contact Nat Serrano for meeting access information, nserrano@wustl.edu.
