Join us for a cross-sector convening on waterfront access and equity, grounded in shared insight and designed to spark collective action.
Jesse Mermell
President and Founder, deWit Impact Group
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 and commentator with NECN, NBC Boston, WBUR, GBH Radio, and GBH.
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.
Srina Lacet
Account Associate, deWit Impact Group
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.
In addition to her consulting work, Srina is the founder of Sri Shot It, a media production business celebrating community and culture through nostalgic film formats. Her work centers underrepresented voices and bridges advocacy, education, joy, and artistic expression. She brings a sharp political mind and deep creative vision to every project and client.