WRAFTers

President/Director

Kristen Mello, M.Sc., has been WRAFT’s Director since our 2017 founding. She led WRAFT’s effort to get one of the ATSDR’s PFAS Exposure Assessments, including the first PFAS blood testing for Westfield residents. Kristen serves as a Community Member on the Barnes Air National Guard Base Restoration Advisory Board (RAB), and served both on the MassDEP PFAS MCL Stakeholder Group and as a Community Liaison for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s 2022 Guidance on PFAS Exposure, Testing, and Clinical Follow-Up. Her PFAS advocacy work, in large part, led to her being elected a Westfield City Councilor At-large in 2019 and 2021. 

Vice President

Christopher Clark, M.Sc., is honored to serve as the Vice-President of WRAFT. Chris spent the first 18 years of his life in Westfield, until he left for studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst; and then subsequently to the University of Michigan. Back at UMASS in 2017, Chris joined a developmental toxicology lab that studies the impacts of PFAS and was made aware that a PFAS contamination had hit his hometown. Chris became involved with WRAFT and has worked with the organization and local community ever since. 

Treasurer/Clerk

Mary O'Connell, a graduate of Colgate University (BA Political Science) and Boston University (MA Urban Affairs) has served on Westfield's City Council for over a dozen years.  O'Connell has served on Natural Resources (Chair), Zoning, Planning and Development (Chair), Legislative and Ordinance, Personnel, and other committees of the Council.  As a member of WRAFT she has worked for PFAS reform for the City of Westfield, traveling to many meetings in both Boston and Washington DC. In addition to her water quality work, Mary has been on several local Boards and volunteers for several non-profits.