CARI is excited to welcome our new organizer/community manager: Fran Webber. Fran brings 10+ years of experience in environmental organizing and communications to the role. She hopes to use her skills to activate seasoned CARI members and inspire newcomers to act on climate in Rhode Island!

Fran’s organizing journey began in 2008 when she became a founding member of her college’s only group dedicated to campus sustainability: the Planeteers. As co-president of the group, Fran worked to raise awareness among students, faculty, and staff of environmental issues while increasing the sustainability of campus operations. During her tenure, a campaign to reduce food waste in the cafeteria and provide students with reusable takeout containers was successfully implemented. 

Since then, Fran has worked with a number of non-profit and grassroots organizations–including another 350 chapter, MN350–where she was a member of the Green New Deal Team, which worked to find Green New Deal-style solutions to climate and environmental justice problems in Minneapolis.

Professionally, Fran has pursued a career in science communications, earning her master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri in 2016. Her thesis explored reader’s perceptions of the credibility of news articles about climate change. After completing her master’s, Fran worked for five years as a public affairs specialist for multiple federal government agencies, including the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. 

Her time working with researchers inspired Fran to pursue her own career as a scientist. Currently at the University of Rhode Island, Fran is pursuing her PhD in oceanography, focusing on phytoplankton ecology. She hopes to ultimately combine her interests and skills in activism, communications, and science as she continues her career.