Veronica Coptis

Executive Director, Center for Coalfield Justice

Veronica Coptis is the executive director of the Center for Coalfield Justice (CCJ). The organization works with community members in rural communities on the frontlines of fossil fuel extraction. CCJ is building collective power to protect people's rights to clean water, clean air and healthy jobs.

Ms. Coptis grew up in western Greene County near the Bailey Mine Complex and currently lives in the eastern part of the county, surrounded by shale gas wells. Before joining the CCJ staff, she served on CCJ’s board of directors and organized with Mountain Watershed Association. In more recent years, she has been working on bridging the urban-rural divide and connecting oppressed communities in the city with oppressed communities in the country.

Ms. Coptis is chapter chair for the Pennsylvania Chapter of Sierra Club and received a bachelor’s degree in biology from West Virginia University. She enjoys hiking and geocaching at Ryerson State Park and other areas around Greene County with her husband and daughter.