Welcome to our new Grassroots Organizing Coordinator (and farewell to Maddie!)

Welcome Jenna, our new grassroots organizing coordinator

Jenna Hawkes recently joined the FMR staff team as our new grassroots organizing coordinator, a natural next step for this recent Macalester College graduate with a passion for environmental justice, community-building and agriculture policy. 

During her time at Macalester, Jenna served as the community gardens manager and food security organizer for the Sustainability Office, organizing volunteer groups, increasing access to fresh foods and improving culinary literacy across campus. She also worked for the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota and the East Phillips Neighborhood Institute.

These experiences combined her interests in environmental justice, community empowerment and political mobilization — passions she is excited to bring into her work with FMR.

Jenna says, "I'm thrilled to be joining such a knowledgeable and passionate team at Friends of the Mississippi River. It's an honor to have the opportunity to work on river issues like water quality, riverfront development, Twin Cities locks and dams and more that promote the health of our environment and communities in a place that I hold so dear to my heart."  

"From the moment she walked into our office, it was clear that Jenna belonged on the FMR team. She's jumped in with both feet and brought many great ideas to our work. I know that our River Guardians will really enjoy getting to know Jenna through the many involvement opportunities she's already planning," says Colleen O'Connor Toberman, FMR's land use and planning program director. 

Outside of work, Jenna enjoys cooking, gardening, outdoor adventures and playing with her band. 

Farewell to Maddie

We'll miss Maddie Miller, FMR's outgoing grassroots organizing coordinator. When she joined the staff in 2022, Maddie was the first person to hold this position at FMR. She grew our River Guardians program to new heights.

Under her leadership, thousands of community members joined us in advocating for the Mississippi River. Maddie helped create many popular tours and events that brought people together to learn, build community and use our collective voice to create meaningful change. Last year alone, she helped lead over 20 advocacy events.

Maddie was also FMR's policy lead on important issues such as sulfide nickel mining, contributing vital policy expertise to our partnership with the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and Water Over Nickel. Maddie even visited our Congressional representatives in Washington, D.C. as a leader in the national Mississippi River Network coalition.

FMR's recent success in securing an invasive carp deterrent, more funding for clean-water crops, comprehensive dam removal studies and more is thanks in no small part to Maddie and our River Guardians. 

"I have always admired how Maddie draws people in with her energy and passion, whether she's in the halls of the state capitol or leading a kayak tour down the river. She never lost sight of how to make our work stronger by expanding who's included in our circle, and never stopped envisioning a better future for the Mississippi River and those who live along it," shares Colleen O'Connor Toberman, FMR's land use and planning program director.

Adds Shaymus McLaughlin, FMR's communications specialist, "Maddie and I started our FMR careers at the same time, and almost immediately found ourselves collaborating on River Guardian outreach and action alerts during a critical time of the legislative session. She is strategic and deliberate, but never at the expense of her values, and while always keeping people and communities at the forefront. Harvard is lucky to have her."

As much as we'll miss Maddie, we're excited that she's taking the next step in her environmental planning career by beginning a graduate program at Harvard University. She assures us that the Mississippi River is always in her heart even now that she's moved to Cambridge.