Staff

Cornelia Barr
Development Associate 

With a background as an archaeologist and writer/editor, Cornelia became, as she puts it, an “accidental environmentalist” during the campaign to save the land that became Gateway Nature Preserve in Winston-Salem. She has extensive experience with grant writing and fundraising for a variety of nonprofits. A Rhode Island native, she embraces life in the South. She shares her life with her husband Matthew, a documentary filmmaker, their dog Rhubarb, and cats Ormolu and Zelda.

Will Eley
Green Jobs Program Manager

After studying social movements and environmental policy at Auburn University, Calarts, and The University of Chicago, Will spent the past decade building networks across the public and private sectors to advance bold solutions related to climate change, transit equity, and environmental justice. He joined PEA in the spring of 2023 following a six-year tenure running campaigns for a national network of nonprofits committed to sustainability and consumer protection. Will proudly calls the Sunnyside neighborhood of Winston-Salem home, where he lives with his wife, daughter, and their electric car. In his free time, he may be found looking at art alongside his wife at SECCA, walking with his daughter to Washington Park, or chatting his neighbors up about federal clean energy tax credits. 

 
Jamie Maier
Executive Director
Jamie joined PEA staff in 2015 and has been Executive Director since 2016. A graduate of Duke University, with years of experience in the nonprofit sector across the country, Jamie brings to the organization a passion for climate action, environmental justice, and collective action. In her spare time, Jamie enjoys exploring Winston-Salem by bike and foot with her family, cooking, reading, and traveling.
 
 
Jessica Mendez Rowe
Community Program Organizer
Jessica joined the PEA team in 2021. She has a dual Masters in Divinity and M.A. in Sustainability from Wake Forest University. She brings experience with social justice movements, nonprofit work, and intersectional environmentalism to her role at PEA. Jessica is always eager to build community and support advocacy around environmental sustainability. Her leisure interests include gathering with friends to eat good food, teaching her cat (Nuzzles) to walk outside, and listening to audiobooks with  her husband, Stephen.

 
Chris Perdomo
Education Program Coordinator - AmeriCorp VISTA

 Christopher is a Winston-Salem/Clemmons native and recent graduate of Stony Brook’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences having received a bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies. Christopher has previous experience in healthcare and public welfare programs. He will use his combination of experience and higher education to uplift and strengthen his home community through environmental education, health, advocacy, and justice. In his free time Chris trains to compete in Olympic weightlifting and enjoys mountain-biking, road-cycling, and hiking.