LEADERSHIP TEAM
The Chapter is organized as a 4-member Leadership Committee headed by the Chapter Chair. Of nearly 80 members, 20 have been trained by the Climate Reality Project National.
Chapter Chair: Lynn Saxton
Leadership Committee: Teresa Niedda, Kathy Moran, Danelle Giannini
LYNN SAXTON
Chapter Co-Chair
Lynn Saxton, a retired High School Social Studies teacher who lives in Warsaw NY, is the Chair of the Western New York Region Chapter and one of its founding members. She trained with the Climate Reality Project in July 2020. She is the mother of two daughters, one of whom chairs the Massachusetts Southcoast Chapter, stepmother of two daughters, and grandmother of three.
DANELLE GIANNINI
Leadership Team
As the newest member of the Climate Reality Project Western NY Leadership Team, I’m very excited to join with others in the fight against climate change. I live in Rochester, NY and recently retired from my role as an Environmental Manager at Xerox Corporation. I am currently an adjunct professor at Rochester Institute of Technology where I teach classes on climate change and greenhouse gas management. My passion is working with others to find ways to make sustainable living our natural way of life.
I was trained as a Climate Reality Leader online in April 2022, and am eager to attend a live training soon to tap into the incredible knowledge and passion of this amazing community of volunteers!
TERESA NIEDDA
Leadership Team
Teresa Niedda has been working in the non-profit sector in management, fundraising, grant writing, and program development for over 20 years. The focus of her work has been on environmental and food justice issues in both rural and urban settings. Teresa is passionate about growing and preserving food. She completed a Certificate in Non-Profit Management from LaSalle University’s School of Business. Teresa also was trained as a Climate Reality Leader by the Climate Reality Project. She has a B.A. from Niagara University, a Masters in Child Study from Tufts University, and a Certificate in Labor Relations from the Universidad de Guanajuato in Mexico. Teresa speaks Spanish and was trained as a mediator, specifically in restorative justice, by the Good Shepherd Mediation Program in Philadelphia.
KATHY MORAN
Leadership Team
Originally from Toledo, Ohio, Kathy moved to the Buffalo area for a job and where she also met her husband. They lived in the area for the next 20 years before moving to Indianapolis. Kathy has always worked in higher education, most recently as Dean of Education at the University of Indianapolis before she retired in 2017. Kathy and her husband moved back to this area and have been living in Hamburg (Erie County) for the last 1.5 years.
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Kathy has always been interested in the environment since she majored in chemistry and wanted to clean up the local river. She had been active in the Hoosier, Indiana chapter of Elders Climate Action where did she their computer work. Kathy is a Master Gardener and is a member of the Hamburg Garden Club. In October 2023, she will be presenting a talk on the impact of climate change on gardening practices – a topic that she is passionate about. A friend told her about Climate Reality and she went online and joined the Western NY Chapter. Kathy recently completed the Climate Reality Leadership Corps training on the Inflation Reduction Act.
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Kathy likes helping set up data systems for climate groups. She also likes making connections and arranged for the president of Elders Climate Action to meet with Master Gardeners. Kathy helped prepare a piece on legislators’ views of climate related policy so that voters knew how their respective candidates felt on this topic. As she is settling back in the area, Kathy is starting up a garden and particularly enjoys growing flowers.