Chapter Leadership Committee
Our chapter was one of the first in the country, established on Oct. 1, 2017. Elections are currently held in March each year with terms lasting one year — from April 1 to March 31. There is a two-year term limit for contested positions.
The Leadership Committee and other roles may evolve and the election schedule may change over time.
If interested in playing a leadership role, let us know — especially for helping us build diversity and youth involvement.
LEADERSHIP TEAM
CHAPTER CHAIR/EDUCATION CHAIR | Rachel Fredricks
Rachel has assumed the role of Chapter Chair, in addition to continuing to lead the Chicago Clean Buildings team. She was a university philosophy professor specializing in ethics before she moved to Chicago in 2021, in part to spend more time on climate activism. She was trained as a Climate Reality Leader in 2024. Rachel continues to do academic research as an independent scholar. She is particularly interested in the relationship between climate justice and other types of social justice. She credits a favorite elementary school teacher for spurring her interest in climate change many years ago. An avid vegan and cook, she is always happy to share recipes.
CHAPTER VICE CHAIR | Pam Tate
Pam is familiar to many for her previous role as Campaigns Chair, where she oversaw the chapter’s teams and campaigns. She is now in her second year as Chapter Vice Chair. She also helps lead the Suburban Clean Buildings team and leads the Legislative Action team. She retired in 2018 as CEO of a non-profit in education and workforce development. Then she was trained by Climate Reality in 2019. Pam is also active in the Oak Park Climate Action Network, where she is a climate coach. She serves on several non-profit boards, including American Forests. She has two dogs and loves to go for walks in nature.
COMMUNICATIONS/MARKETING CHAIR | Charlotte Renee Giff
Charlotte is an environmental consultant and researcher, focused on advancing solutions to climate change. Her interests center on decarbonization, energy policy, and nature-based solutions. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Virginia and a master’s of Public Administration from Columbia University. Charlotte has consulted for federal agencies and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, as well as philanthropic organizations, non-profits, and consumer goods companies.
MEMBERSHIP CO-CHAIR | ANINDITA DUTTA
Anindita is an environmental health scientist and consultant, whose work focuses on air quality, climate, and public and global health in Asia, North America and Africa. She holds a doctorate from Jadavpur University in India and completed post-doc trainings from Peking University and the University of Chicago. She is a peer reviewer for numerous international journals, scientific conferences and funding bodies. She was trained as a Climate Reality Leader in 2024. She lives in Lincoln Park and volunteers for many area non-profits, including the Lincoln Park Zoo and Alliance for the Great Lakes.
MEMBERSHIP CO-CHAIR | KEES RIPHAGEN
Kees grew up and went to college in the Netherlands. When he retired from an international business career in 2018, he decided he wanted to do what he could to save the Earth. He was trained as a Climate Reality leader in 2019. He was active in the early years of the chapter, but for him the Covid epidemic was a game changer. An avid cyclist, he turned his attention to the great outdoors. In addition to biking, he spent time backpacking, skiing, fly fishing and birding, with a focus on conservation. Now he’s back with the chapter and ready to make a difference.
EDUCATION CHAIR | TOM COLEMAN
A native of Boston, Tom has worked at many organizational levels in manufacturing, information technology, and in process improvement disciplines. In 2018, he retired as chief information officer and now works in the field of environmental, social, and governmental education and activism. He is a trained Climate Reality Leader and served as Chapter Chair the. past four years. Tom holds a Bachelor of Business Administration, is a Certified Business Process Master, and is certified as a Change Management Professional. He and his wife have rooftop solar on their house and two electric vehicles.
At-Large Chairs
Kristina Murphy
Kristina Murphy is co-founder of Accelerate Climate Solutions and serves as Vice President of the Board. She owns Confluence Climate Consulting LLC. Professionally, she is an atmospheric scientist with nearly 25 years of experience in water engineering. Kris is a Certified Climate Change Professional (CC-P). She chairs the Sustainable Aurora Advisory Board; participates in the Naperville Environment and Sustainability Task Force; and co-chairs our chapter’s Suburban Climate Action Planning committee. When Kris is not giving presentations on ways to reduce our emissions and create resilient infrastructure, she enjoys baking and organic gardening with her young son.
Karen Daiter
Karen is a psychotherapist and educator working in private practice in Chicago. She is on faculty at the Institute for Clinical Social Work. Karen joined the chapter lead team after she completed a master’s degree in Conservation Biology in 2019 and was trained as a Climate Reality Leader in 2020. She leads the chapter’s Nature-Based Solutions team, which originated as the Tree team in 2020 and then broadened its scope to include plants, agroforestry and other natural carbon sinks.
Jane Goldenberg
Jane has worked as a journalist, teacher, communications consultant and playwright. She also has served as a trustee of the Village of Northfield. After being trained by Climate Reality in 2019, she started on the chapter’s Lead Team as Communications Chair. She earned two master’s degrees from Northwestern University: in journalism and in education and social policy. In the past year, she has been actively involved in the Coalition for Plastic Reduction and now has returned to the Lead Team as an At-Large Chair. She continues to write plays and stories and, for peace and tranquility, practices yoga.
Jeff Green
Jeff, who lives in Glenview, went to Trinity College in Connecticut and got an MBA from Kellogg School at Northwestern. He worked in IT for over 20 years. His current goals are to address the fossil fuel-driven crisis, the loss of biodiversity, and income equality. He leads our chapter’s solar team and fossil fuel accountability team. Jeff is a researcher, analyst, and communicator, and has used those skills as co-leader of the Evanston Chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby and the 350 Chicago divestment team, in additional to Climate Reality Chicago. He was trained as a Climate Reality leader in 2021.
PAST CHAPTER CHAIRS
Cynthia Linton, 2020–2022
Jennifer Linton, 2017–2020