jennifer jackson

She/her

Scientist

The Horsley Witten Group is happy to share that Jennifer Jackson, Scientist and Certified Drinking Water Operator, has joined our growing firm in Sandwich, MA. Jennifer earned a Bachelor of Science in Conservation and Environmental Science, with minors in Chemistry and Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She received a Certificate in Cultures and Communities which included courses and volunteer time. Jen also holds water operator licenses in the states of MA, ME, PA, RI, and WI, and will be assisting with many of our water sector projects.

Jennifer has experience as a Public Water Systems Manager, a Water Chemist, and as a Lab Technician. She is currently working on a high priority water systems project for the EPA, providing technical assistance for lead service line inventory and replacement.

Jennifer grew up in South Boston and attended Boston Latin School. She enjoyed taking language courses and completed four years of Latin and Spanish and one year of Greek. Jennifer worked as a camp counselor for a few years and tutored young students in high school. This experience helped her when she worked for a year as a teacher right after college.

When Jennifer is not working, she enjoys attending concerts and participating in a running group plus hiking with her two dogs, Serenity and Patriot.  Welcome to HW Jen!

matthew hui

he/him

staff engineer

The Horsley Witten Group is proud to announce that Matt Hui, Staff Engineer, has joined our engineering group in Boston, MA. Matt earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering with concentrations in Hydrology, Site Remediation, and Urban Planning from Tufts University in Medford, MA.  

As a recent graduate, Matt has worked on several class projects and part time work, focused on ecological restoration, site remediation, GIS, and living shorelines. He completed an internship as a highway engineer with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and was a research assistant with an offshore wave energy lab.

Matt grew up in the east bay area of San Franciso in Alameda, CA. This environment provided him with numerous outdoor nature-oriented experiences such as hiking, camping, and becoming a Boy Scout. To earn his Eagle Scout rank, he organized a project of designing and building a 3-bin composting system for a local garden. He has worked as a camp counselor and participated in club soccer and biking while at Tufts and was on a competitive gaming team that competed nationally.

Matt is especially excited about urban planning and creating green spaces in cities. We know our clients will appreciate his enthusiasm and commitment to protecting our environment. When he is not working, Matt can be found discovering new places in the Cambridge area by bike or on foot. Welcome to HW Matt!

johanna walczak

SHE/HER

environmental planner

The Horsley Witten Group is excited to announce that Johanna Walczak, environmental planner, has joined our planning team in Providence, RI. Johanna earned a Master of Arts in Community Development and Planning and a Bachelor of Arts in International Development and Social Change from Clark University in Worcester, MA.  

With over 10+ years of experience in urban planning and community development, she has supported public, private, and non-profit organizations. Johanna has extensive experience in public engagement, program development/management and building partnerships. She is passionate about creating equitable communities and vibrant public spaces through urban forestry, recreation, public art, climate resilience, and transportation projects.

Johanna’s experience includes over six years as a senior planner for the City of East Providence. She led numerous urban forest management/planning projects, expanded the city’s tree planting program and secured funding for urban forestry. She was the staff liaison to the East Providence Arts Council and their public art subcommittee.

Growing up in Bath, NY, Johanna spent her early years hiking and exploring the woods and gorges of the Fingers Lakes region. Throughout her childhood she participated in dance (ballet and modern), soccer, and music (piano, clarinet). In college years she joined activist groups on campus and completed internships with the Lead Action Collaborative and the South of Market Community Action Network in San Francisco. She also traveled to the World Social Forum in India and spent a semester abroad in the Dominican Republic.  

When Johanna is not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband and young child and playing trombone in a 15-piece brass band. A Providence resident for over 16 years, she loves Rhode Island’s beaches, hiking trails, and Providence’s amazing restaurants. Welcome to HW Johanna!

alexandra goodenough

she/her

landscape designer

The Horsley Witten Group is proud to announce that Alexandra Goodenough, landscape designer, has joined our design team in Providence, RI. Alex earned a Master of Landscape Architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design, a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies and a Bachelors of Arts in Studio Art from Mills College in Oakland, CA. Alex is especially interested in how everyday landscapes impact us and the role of mindfulness, routines, and ceremony in the landscape. Her everyday life is heavily influenced by the year she spent abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark, and she hopes to continue international travel and study in the future.

Growing up in Southern California Alex enjoyed being part of a creative family. Her father, a fashion photographer, took her and her siblings on frequent off road desert trips to enjoy nature firsthand. Her mother, a graphic designer and painter, frequently took her to art museums for new sources of inspiration. She was influenced early on by nature and determined to find a course of study that included design and the environment.

Alex completed two internships with landscape architecture firms where she gained experience determining site conditions, using wetland plants, fostering client communications, and producing illustrations to support various designs. When Alex is not working, she enjoys cooking, baking (she worked as a baker), quilting, sewing, gardening, and being outdoors. We look forward to sharing her creative nature and excellent design skills with our clients and partners. Welcome to HW Alex!

ariel shramko

they/them

Staff Engineer

The Horsley Witten Group is happy to share that Ariel Shramko, staff engineer, has joined our engineering group in Boston, MA. Ariel is a recent graduate from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering. They are currently pursuing a graduate degree in Environmental Engineering.

Growing up in Attleboro, MA Ariel lived close to a nature preserve and was fascinated by nature and interested in solving complex problems as a young person. Engineering runs in the family as their great-grandfather was an electrical engineer, their grandfather a civil engineer, and their mother is a retired chemical engineer.

Ariel has completed internships as a research assistant and an engineering intern at a wastewater utility. As a research assistant, Ariel learned about heavy metal testing in drinking water and found the experience personally worthwhile as the group evaluated a handheld device to assess water instead of samples being sent to a lab. They found the outreach component of the project fulfilling as they were able to use language skills to reach an audience that felt left out of the process. The wastewater internship included survey work and finding buried manholes.

The Arrakis Terrarium Project/Auto Terra Project was a special experience. After placing in two college competitions, Ariel’s team was one of the top 25 US Teams in the NASA Deep Space Food Challenge, a national competition to make the first Mars habitat food production system. Their team’s solution was an automated, closed system garden in a box. The project was exciting and fulfilling on many levels. The food grown included radishes, spinach, mustard seed, and potatoes.

When Ariel is not working, they enjoy listening to music in any language! Ariel is especially fond and nostalgic for Cantonese ballads as their mother played them when they were young. Ariel has a fondness for merengue and bachata music as their father’s family is from the Dominican Republic. Ariel loves cooking and can be found making stir fry dishes and dumplings with big groups of friends. Welcome to HW Ariel!

logan troy

land surveying technician

The Horsley Witten Group is pleased to share that Logan Troy, part-time land surveying technician, has joined our survey team in Sandwich, MA. Logan is a current student at the MA Maritime Academy. He is working on his Bachelor’s Degree in International Maritime Business.

Logan has assisted students with tutoring and enjoyed being both a Petty Officer and a Squad Leader. He has acquired many technical skills and has experience as a survey technician and engineering draftsman. Other skills include survey and mapping, site design, and bid specifications development. He has completed several internships with MASSDOT, participating in lab work, testing products, and safety permit processes.

When he is not working Logan enjoys freshwater fishing, landscaping, and thinking up new businesses with his friends! He has a strong interest in car and motorcycle mechanics and frequents Vermont mountains during the snow season to ski and snowboard, depending on the conditions. Cannon mountain in New Hampshire is also a favorite. Welcome to HW, Logan! We appreciate your assistance with the survey work.

sarah simon

environmental planner

The Horsley Witten Group is pleased to announce that Sarah Simon, environmental planner, has joined our team. Raised in Wellesley, MA, Sarah grew up with a love of dance and books. She also enjoyed plants and gardens from an early age, and wondered what it would be like to have a deeper relationship with land and nature than what she experienced in the suburbs.

Sarah earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Comparative Literature with certificates in creative writing, dance, and urban studies from Princeton University. She has a Master of City Planning with a focus on environmental policy and planning from M.I.T.

As the manager of a student garden in college, she caught the “farming bug” and worked as an apprentice on a vegetable and dairy farm in Maine. A move to New York was in her future, so she found a rewarding opportunity leading the Common Ground Farm in Beacon, NY. Over her five years on the farm, she managed a team of farmers and five acres of vegetable production, as well as expanded the organization to run farmers’ markets and food access programs. The farm also sold fresh produce and offered cooking education in the public schools. Sarah worked to upgrade farm infrastructure by raising money for a new tractor, colorful delivery van, and metal deer fence.

Sarah continued her career by transitioning to supporting other farmers and the local food economy while moving back to Maine. She worked as a farm viability program director for the Maine Farmland Trust. She created a new climate resilience program at the land trust, which supports farmers in developing climate adaptation plans for their farms and provides grants to help farmers implement their adaptation projects, including agroforestry practices, improved water management, and renewable energy generation.

During graduate school, Sarah participated in internships with the National Park Service and the City of Portland, ME. She is happy to call Portland her home. When she is not working, Sarah enjoys playing with her young son and cat. She also dances with a local contemporary dance group and likes to spend time cooking and eating with family and friends. Welcome to HW, Sarah!

gabriella spitzer

they/them

environmental planner

The Horsley Witten Group is thrilled to announce that Gabriella Spitzer has joined our growing team at the Boston, MA office. Gabriella’s area of expertise and focus is climate change and resilience planning. We are excited to include them on a wide range of technical and community engagement projects.

Growing up in Sharon, MA, Gabriella learned about the connections between social justice, public health, and the environment from their experience working for an organization called The Food Project. The group focuses on youth development and racial justice through urban and suburban farming. These early experiences were formative: Gabriella’s environmental approach has always focused on how environmental issues—especially land use—relate to all other kinds of other social issues.

Gabriella earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Environmental Science at Barnard College/Columbia University in New York City and a Master of Science in Environmental Science with a concentration in planning and management at the University of Illinois in Springfield. While working for the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets they developed a program to help farmers reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and become more resilient to the changing climate. New York’s Climate Resilient Farming program is still going strong! Gabriella then worked as a consultant for FEMA helping the agency assist communities with reducing risks and becoming more resilient to climate change. Gabriella is excited to bring their years of experience in climate change resilience, hazard mitigation, climate policy, and environmental planning to HW.

Gabriella is an artist and, when they are not busy with work, enjoys painting with acrylics on canvas,  silk paints on silk, watercolors on paper, and combining them in mixed media in a new basement studio space. They developed a Haggadah for Passover called Haggadah Min HaMeitzar, A Seder Journey to Liberation published by Ben Yehuda Press. It includes a traditional text along with several kinds of commentary, including an environmental commentary, that Gabriella developed. The Haggadah features their art as well. Their next project involves art and essays on Jewish text and climate change.  

Welcome to HW, Gabriella!