Rita O'Connell, National Plastics Organizer (she / her)

Rita O'Connell is an organizer and civil servant with a particular passion for environmental advocacy. She has led and worked on domestic and international campaigns across a wide variety of social issues, including public sector labor organizing, reproductive rights, and military divestment. 

Rita holds a MA in Public Advocacy and Activism from the University of Galway and a BA in Writing, Literature and Publishing from Emerson College. Before joining Beyond Plastics, she was a Regional Director for US Senator Martin Heinrich and an adjunct faculty member at the University of New Mexico-Taos.

A writer, performer, and producer, Rita owns significantly more instruments than she can actually play (yet). She lives in beautiful northern New Mexico, where she is proud to be on the board of the Friends of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. Rita also co-founded and helps run KNCE 93.5FM, a grassroots radio station that operates out of an Airstream trailer on Taos Mesa.