Staff
Rebecca Chace, Marketing and Event Director ~ Email Rebecca
Rebecca Chace joined our team in September of 2022, a marketing and events professional with a diverse background in creative direction, event management and graphic design. As the Marketing & Events Director, Rebecca creatively leads Clean Ocean Access’s marketing and branding strategies. Rebecca grew up in CT and has always lived by the ocean. She obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Textile, Merchandising & Design from the University of Rhode Island in 2015. Prior to Clean Ocean Access, Rebecca was the Creative Director for The Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce where she was an integral part of the Chamber’s rebranding in 2020 for their 100-year anniversary. Before working for the Chamber, she was the Marketing & Events Coordinator and Editorial Stylist for NewportLife magazine where she still continued to freelance through 2022. Rebecca looks forward to bringing her creative ideas to Clean Ocean Access. Outside of the office you can find her scouring the beaches for sea glass and enjoying all Aquidneck Island has to offer!
Eva Touhey, Director of Sustainability ~ Email Eva ~ (401) 236-2561 x1
Eva Touhey joined the team in September 2015 as COA’s first intern after completing her Bachelor of Science in Biology and Music at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. After working part-time for a few years within the programmatic team, she became a full-time staff member in May 2019 upon receiving her Master of Arts in Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island. Now as the Director of Sustainability, Eva oversees the organization’s circular economy initiatives: Shrink Wrap Recycling and Healthy Soils Healthy Seas RI. As a native Aquidneck Islander and now Newport resident, Eva is excited to make COA a leader in sustainability and empower our community to make more environmentally-responsible behaviors!
Casey Tremper, Program Manager ~ Email Casey~ (401) 236-2561 x2
Casey joined the team in June 2021 to take over coordination of the three founding volunteer programs of Clean, Ocean, and Access. Growing up on the beach in Matunuck, Casey has always been enthusiastic about protecting the ocean and encouraging others to do the same. She has a Master’s degree in Marine Affairs from URI, water quality monitoring training with the URI Watershed Watch, and three years of experience studying sustainability and restoration with the Environmental Protection Agency in Narragansett, RI. Casey enjoys cleaning up her own neighborhood, playing guitar, and SCUBA diving in her free time.
Sarah Lavallee, Program Coordinator ~ Email Sarah ~ 401-314-2561
Sarah joined the COA team in July 2022 as program coordinator of our Healthy Soils Healthy Seas Rhode Island initiative. She is actively working towards expanding residential composting and building lunchroom compost programs across Newport County schools. She also coordinates our residential composting community scientist program to help us collect crucial data about the waste footprints of RI households. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science from the University of Tampa in 2020 and spent two years post-graduation serving as an AmeriCorps member at New England Science Sailing and FoodCorps Maine.
Megan Suda, Sustainable Event Specialist~ Email Megan
Megan joined the team in March 2023 as a Sustainable Event Specialist reporting to the Director of Sustainability. She graduated from Plymouth State University with a Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Event Planning and Management in 2018. Her love for sustainability started in her parent’s home garden and grew into a career at the intersection of sustainability and events. She has worked on an array of events as small as a one-day solar-powered music festival on her college campus, to large events like a week-long 10,000-attendee music festival in Costa Rica, and a 5-day 50,000-attendee music festival in Michigan. She is assisting in growing the organization’s event sustainability consulting services for small to large-scale public events.