Hello Rhode Island Clean Water Action members, allies, and friends!
We are very excited to introduce our new State Director, Jed Thorp! Jed is returning to Clean Water Action after, most recently, working as the Advocacy Coordinator for Save the Bay. He has a long career as an organizer and is very familiar with Clean Water Action and our local campaigns, so he is ready to hit the ground running.
The beating heart of Clean Water Action is our thousands of grassroots members and the canvassers who meet with and speak to our supporters in neighborhoods every night. Jed gets canvassing and organizing. He started his professional advocacy career as a canvasser with Ohio Citizen Action, and he has been bringing people together for positive change ever since.
In his own words:
“I'm a believer in the old adage that there are two sources of power in politics: money and people. And that philosophy is at the core of Clean Water's organizing model. It's easy for environmental organizations, once they've been around for a while and get a "seat at the table" to forget that their power doesn't come from being smart, or even right on the issues; power comes from having people behind us, and in being able to inform and mobilize those supporters.
I'm excited to be back with an organization that fights the tough fights, and does it in a way that engages and mobilizes others. I'm also really excited about Clean Water's ongoing efforts to look at all of our work through an environmental justice lens, and to figure out ways to build new relationships and partnerships with frontline communities.”
For the past two decades, Jed has worked as an advocate with environmental organizations including Clean Water Action, Sierra Club, and Save the Bay. He also spent five years as the Public Information Officer for the Ohio EPA. Additionally, Jed served as the Membership Director for RI Public Radio and has been on the board of Common Cause RI since 2015.
In addition to organizing, Jed is a big fan of hiking, backpacking, gardening, and the Cleveland Guardians (sorry Red Sox Nation). He and his wife Sarah Harrigan (herself a Clean Water Action canvass alumnus) have a 7 year old daughter.
To get more involved and learn about our work in Rhose Island, visit www.cleanwater.org/ri.
