Staff

Laura Jasinski, Executive Director

Laura (she/her) is an urban planner with ten years of experience in development and activation of urban open space and community engagement. Most recently she served as the Associate Director of the Boston Waterfront Initiative for The Trustees of Reservations, an effort to build world-class, resilient open space on the Boston Harbor. Previously, she served as the Director of Programs and Planning for the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy where she managed several capital improvements and installations. Ms. Jasinski holds a BA in Architectural Studies and an MA in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts University. Her graduate work focused on universal design and best practices in creating inclusive public spaces. A former co-captain of the Tufts women’s basketball team and long-time athlete, Ms. Jasinski has trained for several half marathons and the 2016 Boston marathon along the Charles River. She looks forward to the day when she and her fellow swimmers from the Cambridge Masters program can practice at the Swim Park.

Email: ljasinski@thecharles.org     Phone: (617) 300-8175

Vanessa Nason, Associate Director

Vanessa (she/her) enjoys being part of an organization working to improve the Charles River, which she has spent countless hours walking, running, and relaxing beside. Since joining the Conservancy, she can include cycling in that list! After starting on the operations and development side, Vanessa has appreciated adding project management and applying her passion for swimming to the Charles. She didn’t need much convincing on the idea of urban river swimming, but her first jump in during City Splash 2016 made her a convert, and she looks forward to the time when swimming has a home in the Charles again. Vanessa has a graduate degree from Georgetown University. Her prior experience includes administration at an architecture firm and program coordination at an urban planning foundation.

Contact Vanessa with questions about the Swim Park Project or the Charles River Floating Wetland.

Email: vnason@thecharles.org     Phone: (617) 300-8162

Sasha Vallieres, Stewardship & Volunteer Program Manager

Sasha (she/her) currently manages 2,000 annual volunteers and the Conservancy’s horticultural and conservation activities. Sasha has over ten years of experience in the non-profit sector, where she has worked in resource management, taught environmental education and natural history, performed trail maintenance, and organized volunteer events for small groups to events with several hundred. Sasha has previously worked for YMCA of Greater Boston, National Parks Service, Trustees of Reservations, and interned with the Student Conservation Association. When not working in the Charles River parklands, Sasha enjoys gardening, reading, movies, and hiking.

Contact Sasha if you are interested in scheduling a corporate volunteer event or attending the next open volunteer day. Please note that group volunteer days are typically scheduled one month in advance.

Email: svallieres@thecharles.org     Phone: (617) 300-8173

Taylor Leonard, Program Manager, Community Partnerships

Taylor (she/her) is interested in the intersection between art, the environment, and community advocacy. With a Bachelor of Fine Art from the New England School of Art and Design at Suffolk University, Taylor is constantly searching for exciting and creative solutions to engage open space along the Charles River. Prior to her time at the Charles River Conservancy, Taylor organized free community celebrations at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston and planned art residency programming at the Harvard University ArtLab. Needless to say, she is partial to a celebratory event when the time comes to swim in the Charles River again! In her spare time Taylor enjoys spending time biking on the Charles with a watercolor kit packed in her bag to capture the beautiful views (including the CRC’s incredible Floating Wetland)!

Contact Taylor with questions about programming along the Charles River. 

Email: tleonard@thecharles.org     Phone: (617) 300-8174

Madison Rosen, Project & Event Assistant

Madison (she/her) is an Environmental and Sustainability Sciences major at Northeastern University and this is her second Northeastern co-op position. She is passionate about environmental education and conservation. Her previous co-op was at the Northeastern University Arboretum, where she helped in the management and preservation of Northeastern’s botanical collection. When home in New York for the summer, she spends a lot of time outdoors. She has worked at a local nature-based summer camp as a counselor as well as at Wave Hill Public Garden in the Bronx as a Crew Leader for a youth restoration program. Through these experiences, Madison has learned the importance of community involvement in conservation and wants to continue to work in spaces that share a similar mission. In her free time, she likes to garden, and spends a lot of time exploring the many parks of Boston.

Email: mrosen@thecharles.org 

TERRACORPS MEMBER

Annie Fiore, Land Stewardship Coordinator

Annie (she/her) is excited to serve as the CRC’s 2023-2024 TerraCorps member! Annie recently moved back to the Boston area from Vermont where she graduated from the University of Vermont in 2022. Having studied Geography, she is excited to learn more about the conservation field in Massachusetts. She has fond memories of the parks along the Charles and is looking forward to reconnecting with them in this new capacity. Annie loves spending time outside; she has previously worked as a farmhand, a line cook at a farmers market, and a camp counselor. She also brings experience from the world of academic research. When she’s not working, she enjoys cooking for her friends and watching movies.

Email: afiore@thecharles.org