Our Team

Meet the Team

Meet the Plastic Pollution Coalition team—a small but mighty group of change-makers working toward a world free from plastic pollution.

Dianna Cohen

Co-Founder & Chief Vision Officer
of Plastic Pollution Coalition and a passionate advocate against plastic pollution… Read More

Julia Cohen

Co-Founder & Executive Director
of Plastic Pollution Coalition, based in Washington, D.C… Read More

Jen Fela

Managing Director
for Plastic Pollution Coalition, based in Alexandria, Virginia… Read More

Erica Heisdorf Bisquerra

Senior Social Media Manager
at PPC…Read More

Aidan Maguire

Business Partnerships Manager
at PPC…Read More

Madison Dennis

Senior Policy and Advocacy Manager
at PPC…Read More

Kristin Getz

Operations & Finance Manager
at PPC…Read More

Dianna Cohen

Co-Founder & Chief Vision Officer
of Plastic Pollution Coalition and a passionate advocate against plastic pollution… Read More

Dianna Cohen (she/her) is Co-Founder & Chief Vision Officer of Plastic Pollution Coalition (PPC) and a passionate advocate for a world free from plastic pollution. A Los Angeles based visual artist, Dianna has shown her work internationally at galleries, foundations, and museums. She uses plastic in her artwork to make a visual and social impact. With plastic bags as her primary material for more than 30 years, Dianna is interested in exploring its materiality through modifications and the material’s relationship to culture, media, toxicity, and the world at large and shared this in her 2010 TED talk “Tough Truths About Plastic Pollution.”

Dianna is a frequent speaker and guest and has spoken at the UN and international conferences and symposia, and has been interviewed by Al Jazeera, NBC Nightly News, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, USA Today, Martha Stewart Living, and many others. She is the recipient of the Global Green Environment Award, the Snow Angel Award, and Environmentalist of the Year by SIMA, among others. Dianna studied Biology, Art, and Film at the University of California, Los Angeles and holds a BA in Fine Arts.

Julia Cohen

Co-Founder & Executive Director
of Plastic Pollution Coalition, based in Washington, D.C… Read More

Julia Cohen (she/her) is Co-Founder & Executive Director of Plastic Pollution Coalition, based in Washington, D.C. Julia has nearly three decades of experience in leading executive, strategic, communications, fundraising, and outreach efforts for a wide range of government, entertainment, and non-profit groups.

She has served in leadership positions with numerous organizations, including Environmental Working Group (EWG), Woman’s National Democratic Club (WNDC), MADE SAFE, National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), Save The Children’s YouthNoise, Youth Vote Coalition, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), Rock The Vote, and as a Program Officer, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, US State Department.

Julia has spoken at corporate headquarters, political conventions, and international conferences and symposia. She serves on the U.S. Movement Support Team of the Break Free From Plastic movement. She is the recipient of the Leadership Award from Four Generation of Leaders in Clean Energy & Sustainable Solutions.

She holds a BA in Modern Society and Social Thought from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a Masters in Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley.

Jen Fela

Managing Director
for Plastic Pollution Coalition, based in Alexandria, Virginia… Read More

Jen Fela (she/her) is the Managing Director for Plastic Pollution Coalition. She has more than two decades of experience communicating about environmental issues for various national and international organizations, including Ecological Society of America, the International Council on Clean Transportation, and Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. She also has extensive experience in strategic planning and managing teams to create and achieve shared goals.

Jen has been focused on the plastic pollution crisis for many years—first as a journalist, then at Plastic Soup Foundation (Amsterdam, Netherlands), and more recently on the Greenpeace global plastics team. She has engaged with a variety of audiences about the plastic pollution crisis and solutions, including companies, investors, and the general public, and has a broad network of friends and colleagues in the global Break Free From Plastic movement.

Jen has dual Bachelor’s degrees in Environmental Science and English/Writing from Wilkes University, and certificates in (Corporate) Sustainable Management (Duke University) and Leadership and Supervisory Management (American Society of Association Executives).

Erica Heisdorf Bisquerra

Senior Social Media Manager
at PPC…Read More

Erica Heisdorf Bisquerra is the Senior Social Media Manager for Plastic Pollution Coalition. Her work is centered in communication design for environmental issues, with a background in graphic design, digital communications, photography, grassroots community development, and youth programming.

In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, she led youth arts programming at Artists Working in Education, and built a range of arts, environmental education, and internship programs at Walnut Way’s urban farm. She later grew Walnut Way’s marketing and communications efforts by supporting resident-led initiatives. This included collaborating with the City of Milwaukee to launch its first Eco Tour neighborhood, highlighting green infrastructure and vacant lot revitalization projects. As an AmeriCorps member, she directed the documentary Burma, Wisconsin about refugee migration.

Erica holds a BFA in Painting and Drawing from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, studied Fine Arts in Florence, Italy, at the Lorenzo de’ Medici Institute, and holds a certificate in digital marketing.

Erica enjoys playing volleyball on the shores of Lake Michigan, bachata, chess, and whitewater rafting.

Amelia Hanson

Project Manager
at PPC…Read More

Amelia Hanson (she/they) is the Project Manager at Plastic Pollution Coalition, focusing on the Flip the Script on Plastics initiative. Amelia comes from the social media and entertainment world, where she worked in People and Operations for over 5 years. With a background in theater, production and customer service, Amelia believes that people and their stories are the best foundations for powerful work.

Amelia has a degree in Television Scriptwriting from Ithaca College, where she also studied Theater Arts and Religious Studies. She has studied and volunteered in Oxford, London, Cuba and El Salvador. In her spare time, Amelia has a passion for houseplants, television, and embroidery. Raised as a Quaker in Minnesota, Amelia has an ingrained reverence for nature and our planet, and is thrilled to be a part of this team working to rid the world of plastic pollution.

Erica Cirino

Communications Manager
at PPC…Read More

Erica Cirino (she/her) is the Communications Manager at Plastic Pollution Coalition. She translates plastic pollution science, amplifies fenceline/frontline and other expert voices, and describes real solutions in PPC’s public-facing communications. Her goal is to equip people with the information they need to take action. She has spent the last decade working as a writer, artist, and author who explores the intersection of the human and more-than-human worlds. She is author of an award-winning book, Thicker Than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis (Island Press, 2021), in which she documents plastic across ecosystems and elements; shares stories from the primarily Black, Brown, Indigenous, poor, and rural communities that are disproportionately harmed by industrial pollution and injustice globally; and uncovers strategies that work to prevent plastic from causing further devastation to our planet and its inhabitants. Erica holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies with a Minor in Environmental Humanities and a Master of Science in Journalism degree from Stony Brook University.

Aidan Maguire

Business Partnerships Manager
at PPC…Read More

Aidan Maguire (he/him) is the Business Partnerships Manager for Plastic Pollution Coalition. Guided by systems, he believes in the power of cross-sector collaboration to address our global plastic waste crisis. Aidan brings over 5 years of experience in business management, which has included consulting projects and reporting focused on scaling innovative alternatives to plastics. He recently completed two Master’s degrees in business and public administration with an emphasis on sustainability and social justice from Presidio Graduate School.

He is driven to protect our natural world by scaling regenerative materials and reuse systems to end plastic pollution. When not behind a screen, he is most likely trekking through a Northern California wilderness, playing soccer with friends, or making refillable candles.

Madison Dennis

Senior Policy and Advocacy Manager
at PPC…Read More

Madison Dennis (she/her) is a Project Manager for Plastic Pollution Coalition. Madison has over three years of experience in environmental advocacy and communications. She has led campaigns across local, federal, and international communities to protect marine wildlife, bolster clean energy, and expand digital equity. In her work, Madison prioritizes systems based, collaborative solutions that center the impacted communities and environment.

Madison has a BS in Global Resource Systems from the University of British Columbia, focusing on marine biology and conservation. While earning her degree, she witnessed the devastating impacts of plastic pollution on our oceans, but also the communities who rely on ocean systems for food, income, and way of life. She is excited to minimize our reliance on plastics and advocate for a sustainable future with PPC. When not advocating, you can find Madison backpacking, mountain biking, or poking around the tide pools.

Kristin Getz

Operations & Finance Manager
at PPC…Read More

Kristin (she/her) is the Operations & Finance Manager at Plastic Pollution Coalition. Kristin brings almost a decade of nonprofit, administrative, and operations experience to the team, most recently having worked within the organic agriculture industry where she provided both internal operations support and customer service to producers seeking organic certification. Kristin has an “all hands on deck” approach when it comes to supporting organizations. She has supported Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion work, participated in brand refresh initiatives, researched industry standards and performed crop input reviews, and volunteered on sustainable farms.

Kristin received her Bachelor’s degree in International Studies from Lock Haven University. During a college ecotourism course in the Yucatan Peninsula, she participated in a beach cleanup where she saw first-hand plastic pollution’s devastation on natural areas and wildlife, which reaffirmed her commitment to stopping plastic pollution, sustainability, and climate justice. In her spare time, Kristin enjoys kayaking in nearby rivers and creeks, reading, and dabbling in various arts and crafts.

Alex Patton

Development Manager
at PPC…Read More

Alex Patton (he/him) is the Development Manager at Plastic Pollution Coalition. Alex has over a decade of environmental nonprofit experience from serving in various roles on the fundraising and communications teams at Food & Water Watch. More recently, he worked as an analyst for the U.S. federal government, where he gained valuable experience writing and editing evaluations of government programs. After deciding that he wanted to return to working for a cause that he felt more passionate about, he enthusiastically joined Plastic Pollution Coalition. As a father of two young children, Alex wants to help free the world of plastic pollution for future generations. He has a BA in sociology from the University of Illinois. In addition to spending time with his kids, Alex is an avid reader and runner.

Rachel Bustamante

Policy Manager
at PPC…Read More

Rachel Bustamante (she/her) is a Policy Coordinator at Plastic Pollution Coalition. She has a background in environmental policy analysis, with three years of experience leading and supporting campaigns to protect marine biodiversity and ocean health. While living by the ocean in North Carolina and researching international ocean governance, she discovered her passion for ending plastic pollution. Her work, grounded in advocating for solutions that advance justice and care for people and our blue planet, led her to participate in the global plastic treaty negotiations and meet with members of the U.S. Congress.

Rachel holds a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Maryland and has published research in PLOS Biology and Sustainability. She is excited to dive into advocacy campaigns and communication efforts at the U.S. federal and state levels, including her home state of Maryland. In her free time, Rachel enjoys soaking up sunshine, biking, running, walking her senior beagle, collecting plastic pollution on beach walks, or enjoying a good read outdoors.

Executive Advisory Board
Jackson Browne
Lilian Chou
Michael Dorsey
Elyssa Elbaz
Michelle Esrick
Annie Farman
Peter Gilmer
Asher Jay
Ann Luskey
Charlotte Weir
Heather White
Alexa Woodward

Our Team

Meet the Team

To Stop Plastic Pollution