Rabbi Katy Z. Allen is the co-founder and President pro-temof the Jewish Climate Action Network-MA, and the founder and rabbi of Ma'yan Tikvah – A Wellspring of Hope, a congregation that holds services outdoors all year long. She received her MA in Jewish Studies from Hebrew College in 1999, her rabbinic ordination in 2005 from the Academy for Jewish Religion in Yonkers, NY, and her chaplaincy board certification from Neshama:Association for Jewish Chaplains in 2010. Prior to her ordination, Allen worked as a science teacher, a writer and editor of educational materials, and a Jewish educator. She later served Temple Tifereth Israel in Winthrop, MA for three years, worked as a staff chaplain at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston for 10 years and then served part-time as a hospice chaplain at CareGroup Parmenter Hospice and Homecare in Wayland, MA, while facilitating spirituality and Earth programs at Open Spirit in Framingham, MA. She lives in Wayland, MA, with her spouse, Gabi Mezger.