Lucia Whalen is the Institutional Grants Manager at Openlands. Previously, she served as Openlands’ Communications Manager and worked with staff to create messaging strategies that get people out in nature and engaged around Openlands’ advocacy work. Lucia is passionate about using her background in multimedia journalism and environmental advocacy to increase public awareness of the climate crisis and motivate people to take action. Prior to joining the team at Openlands, Lucia worked as a freelance writer and helped develop Trashy Magazine, a digital zero-waste digital magazine that highlights sustainability leaders in Chicago. She has also been published in the New Yorker. She previously trained as a climate change educator with the Climate Reality Leadership Corps and she now serves as a mentor for new trainees. Lucia received her master’s from Medill School of Journalism, where she studied health, science, and environmental reporting as a Comer Scholar. She holds a BA in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Contact Information
- Email: lwhalen@openlands.org
- Phone: 312.863.6277