QEW’s New Publications Coordinator

My name is Hayley Hathaway and I am QEW’s new publications coordinator. Katherine Murray and I have been working together during the transition and I am grateful for her help. Thanks to everyone who has welcomed me into the QEW community. As I write I am enjoying a light snowfall in the Connecticut house where I grew up. The snow glistening on the pines and covering the ground make the world feel peaceful; snowcapped garden gnomes smile at me through the window. My mother always said that it was in her garden where she felt most connected to God. She helped me get to know the Spirit from an early age and I carry that faith with me as I strive for Right Relationship with Creation.

While I feel most connected with God amid the ravens and the lilies, I have lived a very urban adulthood. For six years I lived in Mexico City, where I worked at Casa de los Amigos, a historic Quaker center for peace and international understanding. I served as the director for three years and coordinated its migration, economic justice, and volunteer programs before that. Before Mexico, I lived in Washington, D.C. where I worked at Jubilee USA Network, a faith-inspired group of organizations trying to change international economic policies through grassroots advocacy. Here I gained an economics-based perspective, which has shaped the way I view the world and led me to be active in the global movement of economia solidaria, economies in the hands of the people. I graduated from Smith College with a degree in government—it was there where I first got involved in activism, advocating to improve US international HIV/AIDS policies with the Student Global AIDS Campaign.

Now back in the US, I am getting to know my country again. I have spent the last six months with my partner traveling from coast to coast, visiting friends and family, intentional communities, and small sustainable farms with the goal of finding a new home. Stay tuned to see where we end up!

I am thrilled to be working with Quaker Earthcare Witness. I have known QEW since my time at Casa de los Amigos where we worked together through QEW’s Mini-Grant Program to help “green” the Casa with a new composter, a rainwater harvesting system, and a solar water heater. I have always been drawn to small non-profit and volunteer groups with a lot of heart and spirit. I believe in this good work and want to contribute through my experience in communications, fundraising, and outreach. My plan for my time with QEW will be to strengthen our online and print communications to help grow and deepen our network and impact. Please be in touch with your ideas and suggestions. I am here to help.