Our Team

Veronica Eady

Interim Executive Director

Veronica brings a lifetime of environmental justice advocacy and a passion for addressing environmental and health inequities in Black and brown neighborhoods. In her earlier role as the California Air Resources Board’s first Deputy Executive Officer for Environmental Justice, Veronica served as one of the original architects of the groundbreaking AB 617 program, laying the groundwork for the West Oakland Community Action Plan. A resident of West Oakland and a seasoned environmental lawyer and law professor, Veronica has crafted policy and implemented programs in partnership with affected communities on every level from local to international.

Nicole Merino Tsui

Director of Strategic Partnerships

As Director of Strategic Partnerships at WOEIP, Nicole leads the organization’s efforts to build and strengthen collaborations that advance environmental justice and community resilience in West Oakland and beyond. She develops and manages relationships across sectors, including government agencies, research institutions, philanthropic organizations, and community-based groups. The goal is to ensure that community voices drive decisions about environmental policy, air quality, and public health.

Meet Panchal

Community Engagement Lead

Originally from Mumbai, India, Meet holds an M.A. in Social Work from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, with a specialization in Livelihoods and Social Entrepreneurship. He has done academic fieldwork in various social science projects related to livelihood assessments, and economic and environmental justice, including water equity projects. He served as an AmeriCorps CivicSpark Fellow in the Borrego Water District, helping build the capacity of both local government agencies and its community allies by integrating water into their existing land use and climate adaptation plans. Previously, Meet has also worked as a Statewide Environmental Justice Project Manager working with various coalitions and connecting state level policy work with local projects.

At WOIEP Meet is excited to be on the forefront of Environmental Justice by developing and nurturing relationships with local community members and groups, helping them understand and interact with community resilience and green infrastructure projects in West Oakland.

In his free time, Meet can be found outdoors, biking, hiking and relaxing at any available water bodies.

Clara Weinstein

Communications Manager

Clara Weinstein is a communications professional passionate about democratic community control of land, institutions, and resources. As Communications Manager at WOEIP, she utilizes her skills in social media and content production to democratize knowledge and build power. She aims to create clear, engaging content to equip community members with the tools to affect change in their neighborhood.

Brie Martin

Project Manager

A Bay Area Native, Brie believes strongly that people should have equal access to health, regardless of where they live. She holds a Master of Public Health and a Master of City Planning from UC Berkeley. At WOEIP she supports measuring the West Oakland Community Action Plan and related community-facing initiatives.

Prior to working at WOEIP, Brie worked in infectious disease education at the California Department of Public Health, as well as in community building for small arts nonprofits.

When not working at WOEIP, Brie is often singing (choral music and musical theater) and dancing (vertical and modern), or romping outdoors.

Aaron Reaven

Project Lead, ICTP

Aaron has been a science educator for over twenty years, including experience in adult education for the Alameda County Department of Public Health, high school teaching as an adjunct instructor with Merritt Community College, and many years teaching elementary school science.

Through his involvement with OTACA (Oakland Teachers Advancing Climate Action), Aaron incubated the Induction Cooktop Teaching Project (ICTP), which introduces 4th through 12th grade students – and their families – to induction cooktops, in a way that is linked to academic science standards.

At WOEIP, Aaron leads the effort to extend the ICTP to more OUSD Title One schools.