Staff Directory

Kate Slevin, AICP
Executive Director
Kate Slevin is Executive Director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign (TSTC), a leading advocacy and policy organization working for sustainable transportation policy in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. She became Executive Director in 2007 after four years as Associate Director and one year as the organization’s spokesperson. Kate has guided TSTC to a position of greater political influence, public recognition and organizational health. During an economic recession, she increased TSTC’s budget by 30% while creating four new staff positions and expanding TSTC’s presence as a staunch advocate for sustainable transportation and smart growth across the region. Under Kate’s leadership, TSTC has continued to win meaningful victories on behalf of the region’s transit riders, cyclists and pedestrians, helping New York pass a new transit funding package in 2009, spearheading the passage of complete streets laws in Connecticut in 2009 and New York in 2011 and successfully reducing fare hikes for urban bus riders in New Jersey in 2010. While expanding the organization’s list of accomplishments at the federal, regional and state level, Kate has increased TSTC’s work at the local level with a new small grants program to encourage the region’s municipalities to undertake transit-oriented development. In addition to her leadership role as Executive Director, Kate is the editor of the acclaimed Mobilizing the Region blog, which tracks regional transportation news and opinion.

Before joining TSTC, Kate worked at NYU's Institute for Civil Infrastructure Systems, the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. At the NYC Parks Department, she taught environmental programs as an Urban Park Ranger and worked in the parkland acquisition office, helping to expand parkland throughout the five boroughs of NYC. Kate holds a Masters of Urban Planning from New York University and a B.A. in Earth and Environmental Sciences from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT.

Veronica Vanterpool
Associate Director  
Veronica joined TSTC in the summer of 2007 as a policy advocate to build support for New York City’s congestion pricing plan. A year later, she was promoted to associate director. Along with assisting with the overall strategy and management of the organization, Veronica advocates for more balanced and equitable transportation policy at the local, state, and federal level; increased investment in public transportation; improved bike and pedestrian infrastructure; and truck and vehicular traffic mitigation. Prior to joining the Campaign, Veronica worked for several years at the Rainforest Alliance, an international conservation organization that works to protect ecosystems and economic livelihoods in some of the world's most biodiverse regions. She previously worked for NYC DEP on its Waste Water Treatment Upgrade Program for NYC's watershed. Veronica holds a M.S. in Environmental Policy from New Jersey Institute of Technology and a B.S. in Environmental Science and Political Science from SUNY-Binghamton in upstate New York.

Janna Chernetz
New Jersey Advocate
As TSTC’s New Jersey Advocate, Janna Chernetz focuses on pedestrian and bike safety improvements, and advocating for more responsible transportation spending and investment decisions as part of the state’s Transportation Trust Fund reauthorization. Janna is an attorney with a passion for environmental and equity issues, and a lifelong resident of New Jersey. She received her B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University in 1999, and her Juris Doctor from Vermont Law School in 2002 where she was an Environmental Dean’s Fellow. In addition to working as an attorney in both private practice and legal services, she was the Assistant Legislative Counsel for the New Jersey State Bar Association, where she acted as the voice of New Jersey attorneys in Trenton and Washington D.C. on a variety of issues.

Sam Handler
Communications Associate
Sam Handler, TSTC's communications associate, writes for and co-edits Mobilizing the Region, maintains Tri-State's website, manages its online advocacy campaigns, and stays on top of the latest transportation news. Since graduating from Carleton College with a B.A. in American Studies, Sam has written for Northfield Patch and The Daily. While in school, he edited and contributed to various campus publications.

Steven Higashide
Federal Advocate
As federal advocate, Steven Higashide coordinates Tri-State's work with national transportation reform efforts and acts as the NY/NJ/CT field organizer for the Transportation for America campaign. He became federal advocate in 2011 after four years as Tri-State's communications associate. As communications associate, he was the managing editor of Mobilizing the Region and was responsible for the Campaign’s first-ever electronic advocacy campaigns as well as its social media and online presence. He joined the Campaign full-time in September 2007 after working on advocacy and outreach in the Tappan Zee/I-287 corridor as an intern. Steven holds a B.A. in Metropolitan Studies and a Masters of Urban Planning from New York University, and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Nadine Lemmon
Albany Legislative Advocate
Nadine joined TSTC in March 2010 as the organization’s first Albany-based staffer. She is working to advance sustainable transportation policies at the state level to ensure safer streets, improved bus service, and adequate transit funding. Since 2001, Nadine has been involved in politics and land use advocacy in New York's Hudson Valley. As a two-term elected official in Gardiner, N.Y., Nadine worked to pass and implement smart growth zoning laws and she was the project manager for a $1.6M federally funded sidewalk improvement project. As a member of the Region 8 MPO, Ulster County Transportation Council, Nadine helped to oversee all federally funded transportation projects in the county, including ARRA-funded projects. Prior to getting involved in local politics, Nadine was an adjunct professor at City College in NYC and the Founder and Executive Director of The Gunk Foundation, an operating foundation which specialized in supporting and promoting public art projects internationally. Nadine recieved an BA in Economics from Duke University, an MFA in Photography from the School of Visual Arts, and a Ph.D in Sociology from the CUNY Graduate Center.

Ryan Lynch
Policy Director
Ryan Lynch focuses on promoting long-lasting and sustainable transportation options and community development in Connecticut and the metropolitan suburbs. Ryan joined the Campaign in October 2007 from the Thai-Burma border where he worked as an alternative livelihoods specialist for Women's Education for Advancement and Empowerment. Ryan also worked as the associate forest planner for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and as a policy intern with Oxfam America. He began his career in community development and advocacy as a Peace Corps volunteer in West Africa. Although originally from Long Island, Ryan attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he earned a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning with a concentration in International Development Planning and foci in Economic and Environmental Development. Ryan also holds a B.S. in Psychology from Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Matthew Norris
South Jersey Advocate
Matthew Norris joined Tri-State in March 2011 as an advocate for healthier, safer and more equitable communities throughout southern New Jersey and the Greater Philadelphia area. Matt's work is focused on conducting outreach with a wide range of local stakeholder groups, and the media, centering on sustainable transportation policies and opportunities to improve access to safe, reliable modes of transportation within the region. Previously, Matt worked with the AARP New Jersey State Office on a range of quality of life issues that affect older Americans, including promoting national complete streets legislation. Matt is originally from Detroit, but grew up outside of Kansas City, Missouri and attended the University of Kansas, where he earned a B.A. in Sociology. For the past two years, Matt has been living in New Jersey, and in December 2010 earned his Masters in City and Regional Planning from Rutgers University-New Brunswick.

Vincent Pellecchia
General Counsel
Vincent focuses on the legal issues involved in Tri-State’s work. Vincent joined the Campaign in March 2011 after living in China, where he worked with the World Wildlife Fund on the 2010 China Ecological Footprint Report and Green Earth Volunteers editing environment-related news articles. Prior to living in China, Vincent spent several years working in private practice focusing on commercial and bankruptcy law. Vincent holds a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from Manhattan College and a J.D. from The George Washington University Law School.

Renata Silberblatt
Staff Analyst
A native New Yorker, Renata joined TSTC in March 2011. As staff analyst, Renata uses federal and state data to interpret regional and national transportation trends, and is conducting an assessment to help advance state level transportation reform efforts across the country. Prior to her position at TSTC, Renata worked in the Urban East Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council and at Greenpeace. She has interned with TSTC and in the New York City Economic Development Corporation's Maritime Department. Renata received her B.A. in English from Oberlin College and holds a Masters in Urban Planning from New York University.

Marianna Vaidman Stone
Land Use Policy Fellow
Marianna's work focuses on the intersection of transportation and land use policy. She works to provide improved resources for local officials and other stakeholders who are interested in bringing transit oriented development to their towns and to develop an outreach campaign to educate local officials about TOD and the impacts of land use decisions on transportation networks.

Marianna holds a BA from Williams College and a JD from New York University School of Law. Marianna worked in private practice for several years as a general commercial litigator, then served as the Senior Policy Advisor to Council Member Daniel R. Garodnick, advising primarily on land use issues. She joined TSTC in September 2011.