Johnathan Berard, Policy Director

Johnathan is the Policy Director at Beyond Plastics and has over a decade of public policy and strategic communications experience in the nonprofit, government, and academic sectors. As the Rhode Island State Director at Clean Water Action, he conducted the very first trawl for microplastics in Narragansett Bay, wrote Rhode Island's statewide plastic bag ban, and helped lead the the fight against the plastic industry's attempts to change state law to allow so-called "advanced recycling" facilities to be built in Rhode Island. 

Johnathan holds a Master of Public Policy from The George Washington University and a B.A. from the University of Rhode Island in history and political science with a minor in marine affairs. He serves on the executive board of the Yawgoog Alumni Association as development chair. He lives with his wife and young son in Rhode Island and is an avid musician, canoeist, hiker, woodworker, and hockey player, in descending order of aptitude.