Faces of Greenbelt: Regina Zaragoza Frey, Member, Board of Directors

When Regina Zaragoza Frey moved to the North Shore three years ago, she was immediately captivated by the region’s natural beauty, protected landscapes, and wide array of outdoor recreation opportunities. Having relocated from Boulder, Colorado, she and her husband, Brian, quickly embraced their new surroundings by exploring the many parks and conservation areas found nearby — often accompanied by their Portuguese Water Dog, Chucho.

“We didn’t know much about the area when we first arrived and, somewhat randomly, ended up buying a fixer-upper in Manchester-by-the-Sea,” says Regina. “My mom had moved to Boston, which is what brought us east, and we knew we didn’t want to live in the city.”

Although she wasn’t familiar with Greenbelt at the time, Regina quickly discovered its local properties, including Cox Reservation in Essex and Tompson Street Reservation in Gloucester, which became go-to favorites.

Shortly after settling in, Regina was hired as the inaugural Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) for the City of Salem. This role built on her previous experience in Boulder, where she had most recently served as the DEI Manager for the Thorne Nature Experience, one of the state’s first and largest environmental education organizations.

“I love my job in Salem and am passionate about the work we’re doing to advance racial equity, engage the community, and address systemic racism through our DEI initiatives,” she says. “It’s both challenging and incredibly rewarding — no day is the same!”

As someone who enjoys hiking, gravel riding, skiing, and generally being outside, Regina was also determined to stay connected to an organization focused on protecting natural spaces and advancing issues around environmental justice. This commitment led her, somewhat serendipitously, to Greenbelt through an event hosted by the Essex County Community Foundation.

“When I read Greenbelt’s mission, I felt an immediate connection and reached out to Betsy Shields and Alison Falk [members of the Board leadership team] to explore how I could get involved,” says Regina. “It felt like a perfect fit.”

The Board agreed, and shortly thereafter, she began the onboarding process to become a member, officially joining in May 2024. Regina currently serves on the Development and NextGen committees, adding a DEI perspective to all her efforts, along with boundless enthusiasm and positive energy.

“Growing up, I thought connecting with nature meant taking an annual trip to a national park, not something you did locally; it was a privilege that wasn’t available to everyone,” she says.
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But in her early 20s, Regina began to recognize the deep intersection between social justice and the environment. She realized the importance of getting people outdoors in their own communities and investing in local spaces. “That’s when I started to understand how vital it is to address these issues at a grassroots level,” she says.
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This realization led her to work with social justice organizations focused on domestic violence and poverty before transitioning to the environmental sector, where she could apply her passion for both DEI and the outdoors.
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​​​​​​​A native of Mexico, where she spent much of her youth before moving to Colorado in high school, Regina holds a Master’s in Law and Ethics, as well as Bachelor’s degrees in International Affairs and Art History from the University of Colorado, Boulder. In addition to her work with Greenbelt, she serves on the board of the House of the Seven Gables in Salem. Her husband, Brian, recently took on a leadership role with Greenbelt’s NextGen Committee.