Meet the Team

Staff

An image of Rylan Workman. He is pale skinned with light brown short hair. He is wearing glasses with pale almost see-through rims, and his eyes light colored but you can't fully see what color they are. He shows his teeth in his smile. He is wearing a white shirt with a sweatshirt over it that has what seems to be an album cover just visible. Behind him is a wooden fence and trees without leaves, making it seem like the picture was taken before leaf out in the spring.

Rylan Workman is SAFE’s Programs Intern.

A recent graduate from Salem High School, Rylan will be joining Princeton University’s Class of 2030 in the fall, where he plans to major in chemical or environmental engineering. Throughout his time at Salem High School, Rylan has engaged in environmental advocacy and organization. He brought back Salem High School’s Environmental Club and Envirothon team from inactivity, and has organized many events alongside the Massachusetts Youth Climate Coalition and Mass Audubon’s Youth Climate Leadership Program. This has included giving testimony for Climate Education Bill H.560 and S.391, as well as leading MYCC’s Advocacy Day, gathering over 300 youth to speak for climate action legislation to state representatives. For SAFE, Rylan tables at community events, writes blogs and instagram posts, designs flyers, and installs sensors for heat and air quality.

An image of Bonnie Bain. She is pale skinned with blonde curly hair that is blowing away from the camera behind her in the wind. The picture is too far from her (and there are shadows) to see what color her eyes are. She smiles with her lips closed. She is wearing a black shirt with a round color and long sleeved that are bunched up to her elbows, revealing a black leaf tattoo on her right arm. She is leaning on a railing with the Salem harbor behind her.

Bonnie Bain is SAFE’s first Executive Director.

Leading the change from all-volunteer to a resourced community organization. She began as the Offshore Wind Program Manager, driving a just transition vision tied to Salem’s offshore wind port via workforce equity initiatives, partnership building, advocacy for electrification, and organizing a Salem coalition that centered Environmental Justice principles in order to win a historic community benefit agreement for Salem. Bonnie has held roles in development at a national residential solar nonprofit as well as project management and field operations in residential solar and commercial battery storage. She grew up in the Central Valley of CA and has an MBA from the University of San Francisco. A proud Salem transplant, Bonnie enjoys all this funky city by the sea has to offer with her family.

An image of Amanda Birenbach. She has long dark blonde or light brown hair (no one can agree on which it actually is) that is hanging loose around her face. She has pale skin and blue eyes, but you can't really tell what color they are in the picture due to the lighting. She smiles with her lips closed. She is wearing a tan colored jacket that is unbuttoned to reveal a slate blue shirt with a white image on it that seems to be of a 2 masted sailing boat. There is a view of a city on the coast behind her.

Amanda Birenbach is SAFE’s Communications Intern.

Recently graduated from Salem State University (SSU) with a BS in Geography and Sustainability with minors in Sociology and Biology, with focuses in human geography, interpersonal relations, and ecology, respectively. At SSU she became the Risk Management and Panhellenic Delegate for her sorority chapter of Phi Sigma Sigma and was in the position for a year and a half until her graduation. She was also the Vice President of the Geographical Society for the last year of college. Outside of university life Amanda belongs to the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and was elected to a leadership position as the Communications Secretary. At SAFE Amanda will be writing blogs, tabling at events, and leading the newsletters and social media accounts, along with the air quality monitor project.

An image of Frank Hannigan. He is pale skinned with short light blond hair, and a short beard and mustache. He has blue eyes and black rimmed glasses. He shows his upper teeth in his smile. He is in a suit and tie: the jacket is black, the collared shirt is a pale blue and the tie has an orange, white and light blue plaid design. The background is blurred but shows a white framed window with greenery through it.

Frank Hannigan is SAFE’s Chair.

Frank is an attorney specializing in tax, estate, and charitable planning with a special focus on 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations like SAFE. Drawn by SAFE’s focus on community and environmental justice, he joined the board in January 2024 and advises on the wide range of legal issues relevant to nonprofits. Frank works at a progressive law firm in Salem and lives in Beverly with his wife and two cats. He spends as much of his time as possible enjoying nature and the outdoors.

An image of Jacquie Valatka. She has almond colored skin with straight black hair with the slightest hints of gray starting to come in. She has dark colored eyes and is wearing red lipstick. Her teeth show in her smile and her lips have a noticeable upturn. She is wearing a large necklace that has a pear inspired design of many white round beads set on top of smaller black beads. She is wearing a white blouse with a black abstract pattern on it. The background is slate gray.

Jacquie Valatka is SAFE’s Treasurer.

Jacquie has been President of the Massachusetts North Shore Chapter the Institute of Management Accountants since 2010 and Business Manager at the House of the Seven Gables since 2017. She brings to SAFE extensive experience helping small businesses across numerous industries evaluate their business processes. Her many interests include teaching, reading, traveling, languages, photography, hiking, karate, swimming, running, aerobics, playing the piano, dancing, and cooking. Jacquie, her husband Joseph, and their two children reside in Salem.

An image of Jaime Kelly. She is pale skinned with light brown wavy hair cut to a bob length. She has light colored eyes and a thin neck. She shows her teeth in her big smile. She is wearing a white shirt with a wide round collar, and has a long thin necklace around her neck. Behind her is a harbor and boats, with land in the distance.

Jaime Kelley (she/we) is SAFE’s Clerk.

Jaime brings her background as an environmental engineer, program planner, sustainability specialist and educator to her service on the board. She supports the organization’s mission by researching and informing the board of the technical details related to SAFE’s efforts. When she’s not translating engineering plans, Jaime helps people bring balance to their lives in her work as a holistic healthcare practitioner. A mother of two, she can be found spending time with family and friends, taking long sunset walks with her dog, skipping rocks at the seaside, and – on any given day – cajoling people to dance with her for the health of it. Jaime is proud to say that she is a fourth generation Salemite.

Ibrahim López-Hernández is a SAFE Director.

Ibrahim is a climate planner working at the intersection of urban planning, climate change, and public policy in the North Shore area. He supports municipal efforts to reduce flood risk, enhance coastal resilience, and advance equitable adaptation through initiatives like the integration of climate data into local zoning and land use decisions. Prior to his current role in the City of Beverly, Ibrahim honed his expertise in planning and data analysis through municipal and community-based positions in Chelsea. Originally from Puerto Rico, Ibrahim moved to Massachusetts after Hurricane María—an event that solidified his commitment to pursuing his current career. He lives in Lynn and dedicates time volunteering as Chair of the Zoning Board of Appeals. In his spare time, Ibrahim enjoys nature walks and flying his drone.

Hadas Webb is a SAFE Director.

Hadas has decades of experience driving strategy and implementation of novel building decarbonization solutions. As Director of Climate & Energy at FedTech, Hadas heads strategy and implementation of venture advisory services designed to create and accelerate first-of-a-kind climate and energy ventures. Previously, as Deputy Director at Browning the Green Space, Hadas designed and led initiatives focused on enabling entrepreneurs from underrepresented groups to gain access to capital, networks, and other resources. Prior to joining BGS, Hadas served as Managing Director of Analytics for Cimetrics, a technology-enabled consultancy for the built environment. Hadas holds a B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering. Hadas serves as Board President of the New England Chapter of the Association of Energy Engineers and is a Certified Energy Manager. She is a Salem resident.

Filipe Zamborlini is a SAFE Director.

Filipe Zamborlini is an immigrant from Brazil and a public servant who has worked on the everyday issues that shape people’s lives for over 15 years — housing, economic justice, and building opportunity. He manages the Community Assistance Unit at the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, helping cities and towns access the support and resources they need to meet local housing and community needs. Filipe also serves as Chair of the Salem Affordable Housing Trust Fund. He joined SAFE because he believes environmental and economic justice must go hand in hand, and that strong communities are built when people have stable homes, healthy environments, and a real voice in local decisions.

Hadee Benoit.

Hadee a native of the Dominican Republic and native Spanish speaker, works for the Salem Public Schools, where she is a bilingual senior administrative specialist and a family engagement facilitator. As a Family Engagement Facilitator at New Liberty, Hadee helps families support their students so they can be successful. Hadee provides Spanish interpretation for SAFE’s videos.

Alexandra Fortich.

Alexandra is a skilled professional in the field of language access, with a rich background shaped by her unique cultural experiences. Born in Providence, Rhode Island, and raised in Cartagena, Colombia, Alexandra brings a global perspective to her work. Currently, Alexandra serves as the Language Access Manager at Salem Public Schools, where she continues her passion for ensuring linguistic equity and supporting the educational needs of students and families. With her extensive experience and commitment to improving language access, Alexandra is a valued advocate for inclusivity in every community she serves. She provides all translations and some interpretations for SAFE.

Carol Hautau.

Carol is SAFE’s Volunteer Coordinator. After retiring from the American Cancer Society, Carol moved to Salem in 2012 to be near her two daughters. Within a few years, she was volunteering for Salem Sound Coastwatch and serves on the SalemRecycles city committee. Carol is bilingual and utilizes that in her volunteering. Additionally, she keeps SAFE’s Facebook and events calendar up to date.

Meet the Team

Staff

SAFE Board

Translators, Interpreters & Support Team