Elena Huisman’s passion for the environment started from a young age and has driven the choices she has made throughout her personal and professional life. But it was not until her time at SEAS that she realized she could make a career out of her love for the environment.

Elena's personal and professional experiences have led her to work with multiple advocacy organizations, and more recently, the field of sustainable transportation. She believes that transportation is vital to sustaining a healthier and more environmentally friendly life. She states, “Transportation lies at the intersection of racial justice, environmental justice, and economic justice. By creating transportation systems that serve diverse populations and abilities, you're able to transform entire communities.” Her interest in commuting to and from work by bike has driven her to the work of sustainable transportation advocacy.

Since moving back to Massachusetts after graduating from SEAS Elena has been a bike advocate. While living in Brookline, she was the Chair of the Bicycle Advisory Committee and engaged in a variety of infrastructure projects that designed urban streetscapes for people, not automobiles. Elena recently moved to Northampton Massachusetts and co-founded the organization MainSt4Everyone. MainSt4Everyone is focused on transforming Main Street in Northampton, by making it a center for civic engagement, creating space for pedestrians, bicyclists, and public transportation. The vision for what Main Street could be goes beyond transportation; it also ensures that the city center is climate ready with a robust tree canopy and storm water mitigation infrastructure. Going forward, Elena aims to continue her work in urban planning focusing on the intersection of climate adaptation and transportation. In the fall she will start a PhD program at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in Regional Planning.