December 6, 2021
Pictured left to right - Liliana Griego, John Monsen, Bettie Pearson, Aura Vasquez, Steve Dunwoody
Five members-at-large have been chosen to represent the Angeles Chapter’s Executive Committee in elections that ended November 15th, 2021. The Sierra Club, the Angeles Chapter, and the regional groups within it, are all democracies, whose highest decision-making bodies are elected by the members. In addition to these elected representatives, on December 5th the ExCom appointed Dyana Peña to fill the vacancy left after Dennis Loya's resignation.
Newly elected members of the Executive Committee will take office in January at the first board meeting of the year. They will join at-large Marcia Hanscom, Jason Islas, and Lynne Plambeck as well as delegates from each of the 14 regional groups, on the board.
Steve Dunwoody and Aura Vasquez will serve for the first time, while Liliana Griego and Bettie Pearson have been re-elected. John Monsen has served previously and is now re-elected after a break. They have all been elected to two-year terms.
Elections were also conducted for the governance committees of the chapter’s 14 Regional Groups. The Elections Committee counted the ballots for all groups and informed the group chairs of the results.
"I'm grateful to be re-elected and given the opportunity to continue serving on the ExCom," says Liliana Griego. "It's been an honor to collaborate with dedicated Sierra Club members and volunteers, and I'm eager for us to continue working to connect people with nature, grow our grassroots campaigns, and foster an inclusive and resilient community.
"Our chapter is involved in some interesting and important work on behalf of the environment,” says Bettie Pearson of the Crescenta Valley Group. “And so I am pleased to continue serving on our ExCom, helping to provide direction and leadership to our membership."
"I thought it might be helpful for ExCom to add a member with 20 years of experience making change happen who likes to see other people grow and succeed,” said John Monsen. “The Sierra Club needs to quickly become a more inclusive organization to survive and increase its influence. Part of this effort will be building on our strengths, bringing in more diverse, accountable, and empowered grassroots volunteers and adding more new members with a safe but expansive outings program."
"I have been dedicated to environmental justice my whole life and the mission and values of the Sierra Club are in line with my own vision," says Aura Vasquez. "I ran for a leadership position because I wanted to bring my a diverse voice, organizational abilities and penchant for action to this chapter. My priorities during my tenure will be to bring more youth and BIPOC communities into the fold to expand our membership into the most underserved communities, who happen to be the most affected by pollution and climate change."
"I am honored to have been elected to the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club Executive Committee," said Steve Dunwoody. "I'm looking forward to advancing equity centered policies, environmental justice, and work to grow our membership by engaging communities that have been historically underserved."
The Chapter thanks all who ran to provide vital leadership for the Chapter. Big thanks, too, to Jason Islas, chair of the Elections Committee, committee members Margee Hills, Donna Specht plus ex-officio members Chapter Senior Director Morgan Goodwin and past Elections Chair, Jay Schnieder for running the election. To be considered for a group or executive committee position, contact the relevant nominating committee chair well in advance of the next election to express your interest.