Maryland Pesticide Education Network Staff
Ruth Berlin, LCSW-C, Executive Director
Ruth founded the Maryland Pesticide Network (MPN) in 1994, which became the non-profit organization the Maryland Pesticide Education Network (MPEN) in 2014. She became a grassroots activist after she and her son were poisoned by pesticides aerially sprayed for fruit fly eradication in Southern California in 1990 and again by the same neurotoxic pesticide malathion, after their move to Maryland (MD) in 1990. Her work on the issue of pesticides and her success at bringing together a diverse coalition of state and national groups and businesses concerned about the impact of pesticides on public health and the environment has been recognized locally and nationally. She was appointed to the MD Governor’s Pesticide Council in 1997 by Governor Parris N. Glendening and was a member of the Council until December 2004. Ruth is a past board member of Beyond Pesticides and the MD League of Conservation Voters. Ruth received her B.A. from City College of New York in 1970 and her M.S.W. from Adelphi School of Social Work in 1972. She was co-founder and co-director of the Family Group Institute, San Francisco from 1976-1981, and associate faculty at the University of San Francisco Medical School from 1977-1981. She was also the co-founder and past co-director of InnerSource: A Center for Psychotherapy and Healing in Annapolis, MD from 1990-2000. A practicing psychotherapist for over 50 years, Ruth brings her understanding of group dynamics and healthy communication to her MPEN work. berlin[AT]mdpestnet.org
Bonnie Raindrop, B.A. Senior Policy Advisor
Previously, Bonnie served as program director for MPEN, project director for the Pesticides & the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Project, and coordinator of the Smart on Pesticides Coalition, which MPEN facilitates. Colony Collapse Disorder and its links to neonicotinoid pesticides propelled her to become a beekeeper-educator teaching beekeepers and the public about the role of pesticides in rising bee losses. Her concern and knowledge regarding pesticides, their impacts, and safer alternatives have expanded to include impacts on the Bay and human health. raindrop[AT]mdpestnet.org
Sean Lynch, B.S., Acting Program Director
Sean joined MPEN from MOM’s Organic Market where he was the Environmental Research and Partnership Manager advocating for organics and the reduced use of pesticides. He brings a diverse background with vital project and stakeholder engagement experience from multiple sectors. He became a Maryland Master Naturalist with Nature Forward (formerly the Audubon Naturalist Society) in 2021 and has additionally been an Education volunteer at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. Sean’s lifelong commitment to a healthy environment and conservation has kept him engaged with environmental organizations and Citizen Science for many years. sean[AT]mdpestnet.org
Gabi Salazar, M.Sc., Project Director
Born and raised in DC, Gabi grew her appreciation for stewarding our farms and promoting a healthy environment while helping at her family’s farm in West Virginia. She has worked for farmer-led organizations for over 10 years, including with the Ecological Farming Association in California, and most recently Future Harvest and American Farmland Trust in Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic. She is a passionate advocate for protecting the health of all life – people, pollinators, our waterways, food, water, and air from toxic chemicals and helping communities thrive. She graduated from Cornell University with degrees in International Agriculture and in Agricultural & Applied Economics and is a proud daughter and granddaughter of Army veterans who have each lived or worked in Maryland. She spends her personal time with her family, helping on local farms, swimming in the Chesapeake Bay and local rivers. Gabi speaks Spanish and some French, Haitian Creole, and Persian. gsalazar[AT]mdpestnet.org
Greg Allen, Project Director
Greg Allen, Ph.D., is an environmental scientist, leadership educator, and organizational consultant with nearly 40 years of experience advancing environmental protection, organizational performance, and collaborative problem-solving. Before retiring from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, he held leadership roles supporting the Chesapeake Bay Program, environmental management systems, quality assurance, and strategic partnerships, earning numerous national awards for innovation and leadership. Greg brings extensive expertise in integrated management systems, environmental stewardship, stakeholder collaboration, and evidence-based decision-making. He also serves as an adjunct professor of leadership at The Citadel and teaches in the Academy for Leadership in Education at Salisbury University, where he helps develop the next generation of public-sector and education leaders. His research and consulting focus on transformational leadership and building high-performing teams. At MPEN, Greg supports initiatives that advance science-based pesticide policy, integrated pest management, healthier ecosystems, and collaborative solutions that protect public health and the environment.
Rachael Keyes, Outreach & Engagement Manager
Rachael joined MPEN in 2023 in 2022 while pursuing her studies in public health and political science at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. With an evident passion for protecting public interests, she has invested her time in learning more about advocacy and using policy to better the lives of others. Following an internship in the office of a Maryland senator, she began her career objective of using her acquired skills in the nonprofit sector, as a means to make a positive impact in creating a more equitable world. She is also currently a graduate student in the University of Maryland School of Social Work with a focus on policy and social change. rkeyes[AT]mdpestnetorg
Joe Griffin, M.B.A., IPM in Health Care Facility Project Consultant
Joe Griffin brings more than 30 years of facility operations management, with 16+ years at Sheppard Pratt Health System as its Facility Services Operations Management Executive.
Veronika Carella, School IPM Liaison
Veronika has been a long-term member of MPEN’s Citizen Advisory Board. She has served as the co-facilitator for MPEN’s Pesticide and Chesapeake Bay Watershed Project’s Healthy Alternatives Working Group since 2013 and as our School IPM Liaison since 2005. She holds the position of Legislative Director for the Maryland Children’s Environmental Health Coalition [MD CEHC], since 2009. Veronika has also served 3 terms (2008-2020) as a governor-appointed Commissioner on the Maryland Children’s Environmental Health & Protection Advisory Council [CEHPAC]. From 2017 through 2019, she served on the Maryland Health in All Policies Working Group [HiAP] as CEHPAC’s Liaison. Veronika was a Founding/Steering member of Maryland Environmental Health Network (2011-2019) and as National Advisor and Coalition for Healthy Schools member to the Healthy Schools Network. She is a charter member to North East School IPM Working Group’s 2015/2020 Projects to develop IPM in Schools best management practices. She was an elected Officer, Committee Chair and Delegate from 1997-2010 with Maryland PTA, PTA Council of Howard Co., and various local PTAs.
