Mela Miles

Director of Transit Oriented Development and T Riders Union

Mela Bush-Miles is a Native Bostonian who has spent decades organizing and advocating for transit equity and environmental justice. She brings a wealth of wisdom and experience to her community and beyond. She formerly served as the Acting Director and Lead Organizer for The Greater Four Corners Action Coalition. She has been championing the fight for transit justice for the 100,000 plus riders and residents along the Fairmount corridor in Massachusetts. She is the Director of Transit Oriented Development and T Riders Union (TRU) at Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE). TRU is an empowered network of MBTA Riders fighting for Transit Justice and Equity. She is the Former Chair of and now serves as the Special Advisor to the Fairmount Indigo Transit Coalition, and an active board member of the Rail Users Network, a North American Rail advocacy coalition. Since 2009, Mela has designed and scaled programs related to transportation, food and eco-fashion for Boston GreenFest. Sustainability is an important element of her work as a fashion designer. She upcycles garments as opposed to recycling. She has more than 30 years of experience as a professional tailor and performs high-quality alterations. This includes 10 years of specialization in costume design construction and coordination for theater and ballet productions. Mela is a 2007 Senior Fellow of the Environmental leadership Program and an Aspen Ideas Scholar. She is a well-respected lecturer, panelist and ambassador for Environmental Justice, Community Engagement/organizing, Transit-Oriented Development, and Climate Justice.