FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 7, 2020
Contact: Chris Dobens, 212-410-1963, chris@weact.org
HARLEM, NY — WE ACT for Environmental Justice (WE ACT) welcomes Christopher Casey as Director of Voter Engagement. In this new role, he will lead WE ACT’s voter engagement initiative to mobilize and engage New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) residents to develop a Northern Manhattan NYCHA Tenants Agenda for the 2021 New York City elections – and the Mayoral race, in particular.
“Hiring a Director of Voter Engagement is part of our strategic plan to build power for our members, our organization, and the Northern Manhattan community,” explained Peggy Shepard, Co-Founder and Executive Director of WE ACT for Environmental Justice. “And Christopher’s wealth of experience in campaign organizing and voter engagement, along with his passion for our mission, makes him ideal for the role.”
“In addition to leading our initiative to organize mobilize NYCHA tenants for the 2021 elections, Christopher will build a stronger and more engaged WE ACT community to help support and advance our City, State, and Federal policy agendas,” added Cecil Corbin-Mark, Deputy Director and Director of Policy Initiatives at WE ACT for Environmental Justice.
Christopher has more than 10 years of hands-on experience in electoral, grassroots, and online organizing. He joined WE ACT from PEN America, where he built the New York City Literary Action Network, which gave local writers a voice to advocate for COVID-19 relief funds and changes to prison literature policies. During his tenure at Consumer Reports, he distinguished himself by leading the campaign that helped block the merger of Comcast and Time Warner. For MoveOn.org, he was instrumental in convincing former Senators Blanche Lincoln and Mary Landrieu to vote to invoke cloture in 2009, helping clear the way for passage of the Affordable Care Act. And, as a Regional Field Organizer for Obama For America, he delivered the third-highest voter registration rate per capita in the nation in 2008 and turned three seats in the Georgia legislature.
“I am honored to join the WE ACT team, with its 32-year legacy of building power in the community and improving the environmental health and wellbeing of Northern Manhattan residents,” said Christopher Casey, WE ACT for Environmental Justice’s new Director of Voter Engagement. “And I look forward to mobilizing NYCHA residents, helping them find their voice and build their power to ensure their needs are better served through the crucial 2021 New York City elections.”
“Growing up in public housing I know first-hand the challenges that NYCHA residents face, and I am glad WE ACT is hiring a Director of Voter Engagement to organize and mobilize NYCHA residents to ensure their needs and interests are being addressed by the City,” said New York City Council Member Diana Ayala.
“At a time when the Trump administration deliberately refuses to act on climate change and threatens our nation’s health and safety by weakening our country’s environmental protections, WE ACT has proudly fought for environmental and climate justice,” said Council Member Donovan Richards, Chair of City Council Committee on Public Safety. “It’s our collective responsibility to mobilize and vote in the upcoming election to get the funding and resources our NYCHA residents have long deserved. I congratulate and welcome Christopher Casey on his new role as Director of Voter Engagement. I look forward to working together in our fight for equity.”
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WE ACT for Environmental Justice is a Northern Manhattan membership-based organization whose mission is to build healthy communities by ensuring that people of color and/or low-income residents participate meaningfully in the creation of sound and fair environmental health and protection policies and practices. WE ACT has offices in New York City and Washington, D.C. Visit us at weact.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.