Brenda Quintana
brenda.q@masscosh.org (617) 505-8940
Brenda Quintana serves as the Labor-Community Organizer at the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (MassCOSH). In this role, they provide direct support to workers through trainings on workers’ rights, health and safety, and leadership development. Brenda is also a recent graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Labor Studies graduate program, which has instilled in them a deep commitment to building worker power. Following MassCOSH’s release of the 2023 Dying for Work Report, which spotlighted Lorna McMurrey’s story and the occupational risks in the cannabis industry, Brenda helped convene the Coalition for Cannabis Worker Safety. The coalition brings together workers, union organizers, cannabis activists, occupational health and safety experts, and community members who are committed to ensuring cannabis workers can return home alive and well.
A transplant to Boston, Brenda grew up in Utah and is a graduate of Wesleyan University in Connecticut. Before joining MassCOSH, Brenda was previously a Community Organizer and Quaker Voluntary Service fellow with Metrowest Worker Center - Casa del Trabajador. Since moving to Massachusetts, Brenda has felt humbled and empowered to work alongside and learn from longtime community leaders and activists doing important work for low-wage, working class, migrant and communities of color in the Commonwealth.