We are pleased to introduce you to two recent additions to our team. We are thrilled by the experience and passion they bring to the table, and are confident that they will play an integral role in our work.
Introducing Eleanor Finley, Strategic Development Officer
Eleanor is an activist-ethnographer and Ph.D. candidate in Anthropology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She focuses on the theory and practice of social ecology, radical municipalism, and directly democratic social movements and has conducted ethnographic field research on the Kurdish Freedom Movement in Germany and the UK, as well as among Barcelona’s radical municipalist movement. Her essays on these themes have appeared in numerous media outlets and publications, including ROAR Magazine, The Ecologist, and In These Times.
Eleanor brings a lifelong passion for direct democracy, beginning with her involvement in the Occupy Wall Street movement at New York City’s Freedom Plaza. In 2012, she joined the Institute for Social Ecology (ISE), founded by philosopher Murray Bookchin in 1974, where she served on the board until 2018 and has continued as an educator and affiliate. Eleanor earned her MA in Anthropology in 2016 from UMass Amherst Department of Anthropology. She is currently working to finish her dissertation there and is scheduled to publish her first book, "Practicing Social Ecology: Democratic Experiments from Burlington to Rojava and Beyond," through Pluto Press in 2025.
Eleanor joins Next System Studies at Mason as a Strategic Development Officer. In this role, she works closely with the Director to plan and deliver initiatives for expanding organizational capacity. This includes identifying and following up on funding opportunities, developing strategy memos, nurturing and developing productive partnerships, and aiding in routine NSS operations and communications. She looks forward to helping Next System Studies innovate and grow alongside the broader next system movement.
Introducing Gabe Gonzales, Communications Specialist
Gabriel is a fourth-year undergraduate studying Sociology at George Mason University. As Communications Specialist, Gabe will produce and distribute a monthly e-newsletter, so be on the lookout for the first edition to be out sometime soon. In addition to this work, Gabe will post content and raise engagement on our social media pages. Gabe’s work in recognizing events, news, and other next system-related information via our newsletter and social media pages is critical to fulfilling our mission.
Outside of his studies, Gabe volunteers his time to the Claudia Jones School, a popular education organization aiming to build the political consciousness of the Washington D.C. working-class community. His experience embedded within social movements across the DMV area and as a student and writer are all exciting additions to the NSS team. We are especially pleased that Gabe is joining us as he was a member of our first cohort of Next System Fellows in 2022.