About
Our coalition has brought together organizations that traditionally work directly on waterfront issues with organizations that represent communities who live, work and play on the waterfront, and communities who have historically been left out of conversations about the future of the waterfront. The Coalition for a Resilient and Inclusive Waterfront is a vital gateway to bring new voices to the table on waterfront issues to ensure that diverse perspectives and communities are represented on these important issues.
Our Partners
The Coalition’s group of highly engaged partners play an enormous role in convening communities around waterfront issues and programming. We are extremely grateful for their support.
Our Team
Ian Karby
Senior Advisor
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Ian Karby from Carroll Biel LLC is a project manager, public health educator and licensed Doctor of Physical Therapy. Ian’s passion for guiding others to meet their long-term goals led him to graduate school where he received a doctorate of physical therapy and increased his knowledge and understanding of the resilience of the human body, mind, and spirit. In 2021, Ian expanded his business to provide groups and organizations with project management, public health programming, curriculum development, and growing collaborative partnerships. While leading with empathy at the center of its mission, Tracey Lewis and Ian Karby founded Carroll Biel LLC in 2023 to focus on supporting organizations with social impact and community building.
Tracey Lewis
Senior Advisor
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Tracey Lewis is the founder and owner of TL Strategies, LLC, a woman and black owned grassroots consulting firm. Tracey is currently the senior advisor for the Coalition for a Resilient and Inclusive Waterfront. Tracey has coordinated civic engagement programs, organized issue advocacy campaigns and managed large-scale projects and special events for organizations such as The Trustees of Reservations, Groundwork Project, the NAACP and City Year. Tracey also has experience working on electoral campaigns at all levels including national presidential races and has campaigned in seventeen states across the country. Tracey started organizing as a campaign volunteer in Boston, MA and would eventually become the first African American to manage a coordinated campaign in MA. In 2021, she received the MA Democratic Party’s Eleanor Roosevelt Award and currently serves on the board of Partners In Health, a global health and social justice organization.
Saloni Doshi
Health and Wellness Advisor
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Saloni Doshi is an ACE-certified health coach, licensed physical therapist, adjunct faculty member, researcher, and passionate advocate with over 20 years of experience in health, wellness, and rehabilitation.
As the Founder of Viri Health Coaching and Wellness LLC, she combines clinical expertise with a well rounded integrative approach to empower individuals and communities in achieving sustainable, long-term well-being.
As the Public Health Advisor for the Coalition for a Resilient and Inclusive Waterfront, Saloni leverages her expertise in health, community wellness, and environmental resilience to advocate for inclusive, long lasting health solutions. She drives research-based strategies that promote both individual well-being and broader community health initiatives. Her work includes developing educational materials, supporting program development, and leading outreach efforts to foster greater community engagement and impact.
Saloni believes in a comprehensive and multidimensional approach to health. Her expertise spans functional movement, preventive healthcare, and lifestyle medicine, helping individuals bridge the gap between traditional healthcare and everyday wellness. Throughout her multifaceted career, she has worked to empower individuals and communities.
Jesse Mermell
Senior Communications Advisor
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Jesse Mermell, President and Founder of deWit Impact Group, is a leading progressive voice with over twenty years experience fighting for equity and social justice. She has been on the front lines of winning campaigns including equal pay, paid family and medical leave, increases in the minimum wage, and reproductive health care in Massachusetts and nationally.
From her roles leading the Alliance for Business Leadership, a Boston-based socially responsible business organization, serving as Communications Director for Governor Deval Patrick, and heading up communications and government affairs for Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, Jesse’s background in both communications strategy and implementation for progressive causes is extensive.
Mermell is the former State Director of the Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired. She has also held positions as the Executive Director of FairTest and of the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus. For over a decade she has been featured as a political analyst on NECN and WGBH.
Mermell is an active community member. In 2020 she was a Democratic candidate for Congress in the Massachusetts 4th Congressional District and was elected to the Brookline Board of Selectmen in 2007, serving until 2013. Upon her election she became the youngest Selectman in the history of Brookline, and created a female majority on the Board for the first time since the Town’s founding in 1705.
Emily Neckes
Communications Advisor
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Emily Neckes joins deWit Impact Group as Director, bringing her campaign experience managing fundraising operations and serving in other key roles for local, state, and federal races. Emily’s leadership and experience in fighting for progressive candidates and causes spans seven campaigns.
Most recently, Emily served as Finance Director for Yes on 4 for Safer Roads, Sonia Chang-Díaz for Governor, and Andrea Campbell for Boston Mayor. Previously, she worked on Congresswoman Lori Trahan’s re-election campaign, the Ranked Choice Voting ballot committee, Jesse Mermell’s 2020 congressional bid, and State Senator Becca Rausch’s re-election campaign.
Emily is a resident of Cambridge, MA. She graduated from Franklin & Marshall College with a major in Sociology and a minor in History.
Srina Lacet
Digital Advisor
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Srina Lacet is an Account Associate at deWit Impact Group, where she supports communications, marketing, and graphic design efforts for mission-driven clients focused on positive social impact across Greater Boston. Before joining deWit, Srina served as an intern supporting women’s civic leadership internationally with Vital Voices Global Partnership in Washington, D.C.
Srina attended Boston College as a Gabelli Presidential Scholar, earning the Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, African & African Diaspora Studies, and Film Studies minor. While at Boston College, Srina served as an Undergraduate Staff Member for both the Women’s Center and the African & African Diaspora Studies (AADS) Program. She has cultivated a passion for public policy, civic engagement, and culturally-rooted storytelling through ongoing educational and professional experiences.