BlueGreen Alliance Also Names New Legislative and Policy, Organizing Directors 

WASHINGTON, DC (June 4, 2015) – The BlueGreen Alliance, a national partnership of labor unions and environmental organizations, today announced that Kelly Schwinghammer is the organization’s new Executive Vice President. The organization also announced that Lee Anderson has been named Director of Legislation and Policy and Katie Gulley will serve as Organizing Director.

“I am excited that Kelly, Lee and Katie will be taking on these new, expanded roles within the organization that they have helped to build,” said BlueGreen Alliance Executive Director Kim Glas. “The BlueGreen Alliance and its partners are leading the charge to find solutions to climate change that create and secure the kinds of jobs that support families in this country. This team is the right choice to help move this vision forward.”

“The BlueGreen Alliance is advancing solutions to environmental problems that will ensure the creation and security of good jobs across the country—whether through energy efficiency and renewable energy, the repair and replacement of the nation’s natural gas distribution pipelines, or fair and enforceable trade agreements—all in pursuit of a clean, thriving and fair economy,” said Schwinghammer. “I’m honored to be named the organization’s first Executive Vice President and I am looking forward to continuing this work at a critical time for our economy and our environment.”

Schwinghammer has worked with the BlueGreen Alliance since 2008, when she became the organization’s founding communications director. In 2012, she led the communications effort as Deputy Campaign Manager of Research and Communications for Minnesota United for All Families, the first ever campaign to defeat a state constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. Now as Executive Vice President, she will lead the field organizing, communications and legislative advocacy efforts.   

Lee Anderson formerly served as a Senior Legislative and Policy Advocate for the BlueGreen Alliance. Prior to joining the BlueGreen Alliance, Anderson worked as a labor and employment attorney with the Provost Umphrey Law Firm, representing labor unions and individual workers. His law practice centered on union organizing and bargaining, employment discrimination, overtime wages, consumer protections, and pension issues.

“Even with a gridlocked Congress, there are opportunities to advocate for and implement smart policies at the state and federal level,” said Anderson. “I’m very proud of our efforts to grow and secure good jobs, while protecting the rights of working people and our environment, and I look forward to continuing that mission in my new position.”

Katie Gulley joined the BlueGreen Alliance in 2009 as the Regional Program Manager for Minnesota, helping to launch efforts to move smart environmental and energy policies in the state. Before joining the BlueGreen Alliance, she was the Campaigns Coordinator for the Change to Win Labor Federation in Minnesota and Member Mobilizer for the Minnesota Nurses Association.

“As our economy continues its recovery and as the U.S. embarks on an effort to limit carbon pollution, there couldn’t be a more important time to build consensus on solutions that will address climate change and secure and create new, good jobs,” said Gulley. “We’ve been working over the years to build collaboration and consensus around the best ways to do this for our environment and our economy, and I can’t wait to help our organization build on this important work in the future.”