November 14, 2024 – Clean Air Council is pleased to announce the newly elected officers of Clean Air Council’s Board of Directors: Co-Presidents Carolyn Hewson and Oscar Wang, Vice President Laura Blank, Treasurer Jeff Aldi, and Secretary Ben Cromie. While Board officer elections happen each year, this year’s election on October 16th was particularly momentous: Clean Air Council’s Board President of 25 years, Russ Allen, opted not to run for reelection, passing the reins to a new generation of leadership. Allen presided over decades of historic growth and programmatic victories at the Council. He culminated his tenure by overseeing the successful transition of leadership to new Executive Director, Alex Bomstein, after the retirement of the Council’s longtime Executive Director, Joseph Minott. Allen will remain a member of the Council’s Board. The Council is deeply grateful for his decades of service and leadership.
“The Council is in great hands with our dedicated and talented new Board Co-Presidents and Executive Officers,” said Alex Bomstein, Clean Air Council Executive Director. “The Board’s Executive Team has already shown strong internal leadership and a knack for navigating organizational affairs.”
Hewson, Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives at Penn Medicine, has been a member of the Board since 2021 and began serving as Board Vice President earlier this year. She recently led the Council in the creation of a new strategic plan. Wang, Founder and CEO of College Together, has been a member of the Board since 2021 and Board Vice President since 2022. In addition to serving as Vice President, he was recently a member of the Board’s Executive Director Search Committee. Blank, Director of Leadership Coaching and Strategy at School Wellbeing Solutions, was a member of the Board from 2009-2013 and then from 2019 until now and serves on the Board’s Personnel and Compensation Committee. Aldi, Vice President of Finance and Accounting at Comcast, has been a member of the Board since 2010, and has been Board Treasurer since 2010. Cromie, Senior Planner at CHPlanning, who has been a member of the Board since 2018, recently served as a Board representative to the Strategic Planning Committee.
More information about Clean Air Council’s Board of Directors is available here.
PHILADELPHIA, PA (March 13, 2024) – Clean Air Council is thrilled to announce a new milestone, the promotion of Legal Director and long-time environmental advocate Alex Bomstein Esq., to the position of Executive Director. Bomstein assumes this role after the retirement at the close of 2023 of the Council’s longstanding Executive Director Joseph Otis Minott.
After an extensive and thorough search, Bomstein is the ideal candidate to lead the Council into the next chapter of its journey. Bomstein brings a wealth of experience, leadership skills, and a passion for our mission, protecting everyone’s right to a healthy environment. With a proven track record in litigation and legal affairs, he has also demonstrated exceptional expertise in managing staff and strategizing organizational development. Bomstein will play a pivotal role in driving innovation, fostering collaboration, and guiding the Council toward continued success.
“There has never been a greater need for bold action to protect our environment than during this pivotal moment of climate crisis and environmental injustice,” said Alex Bomstein, Clean Air Council’s new Executive Director. “I am humbled to be stepping into the big shoes left by my predecessor, Joe Minott, a towering figure in the environmental protection community. And I am beyond excited to take the helm at the powerful and storied Clean Air Council, which will press forward ever stronger in the fight for clean air, a stable climate, and a healthy environment for all of us.”
“From his courtroom victories, to tirelessly partnering with residents facing environmental threats, to shaping successful campaigns to combat major polluting facilities, I have had the honor of being in a front row seat as Alex has proven time and again how valuable he is to the environmental movement.” said Kathryn Urbanowicz, Clean Air Council Deputy Director. “Alex is a brilliant, driven advocate who leads with integrity and vision both inside our organization and in the broader community. The Council could not be in better hands.”
Before transitioning to Executive Director, Bomstein ran the Council’s team of attorneys and law clerks, which is active in litigation and the regulatory process. In early 2015, he began work at the Council as the Senior Litigation Attorney, following seven years as a commercial litigation associate at Pepper Hamilton LLP, now Troutman Pepper. Bomstein has a degree in mathematics from Cornell University and a law degree from Columbia Law School. He first began his organized environmental advocacy work by joining Students for Environmental Awareness at Cheltenham High School, and has continued that work without pause since. He lives in South Philadelphia with his wife, rescue dog, and three-legged cat.
Listen to our podcast episode where Alex candidly answers all sorts of questions about his work and life.
