I am a dedicated teacher, translator, and editor with a passion for environmental activism and sustainability. My background includes years of experience in education, both in Poland and the United States, and I currently serve as a Teacher Assistant at North Broward Preparatory School. Fluent in German, Polish, and English, I’ve had the opportunity to work with diverse communities and build strong relationships with students and colleagues alike. These experiences, along with my volunteer work with the German Red Cross, have shaped my belief that education and environmental advocacy are interconnected forces for positive change.

My passion for the environment is deeply personal, fueled by my love for amateur photography and camping. Capturing the beauty of Florida’s state parks and natural landscapes through my lens has given me a profound appreciation for the need to protect these spaces. Camping has introduced me to the incredible diversity of Florida’s ecosystems and strengthened my commitment to preserving them for future generations. I’m particularly passionate about waste reduction, renewable energy, and the protection of local wildlife and ecosystems. I see the Broward Sierra Group as the perfect platform to combine my skills and passions to make a real impact.

By joining the Broward Sierra Group Executive Committee, I hope to bring my leadership, cross-cultural insights, and collaborative spirit to the table. I am excited about the opportunity to help develop educational initiatives, expand the group’s community engagement, and strengthen our outreach efforts. With my background in teaching, photography, and my love for the outdoors, I am confident that I can contribute fresh perspectives and energy to advance the environmental goals of our organization, ensuring we remain a powerful advocate for Florida’s natural beauty.

I have been a South Florida resident for 45 out of my 66 years. I originally moved from New Jersey to Boca Raton. Back then, Glades Road was only two lanes west of I-95 (there wasn't much to travel to, except 441). When they opened up the Town Center Mall in 1980, I thought it was an odd name, being nowhere near the center of town. That was my first brush with developing the wetlands as we expanded outward toward the Everglades.

When I moved down again in 1992, I interviewed at Racal Datacom. I asked what that was diagonally across the street, and was told it was the Sawgrass Mills Mall. Again, I thought it odd they would build a mall on the edge of the Everglades.

At Racal-Datacom, I joined the Environmental Club and that's where I started learning about the various factors negatively affecting our world. We seemed to treat our environment as "it can take a lickin' and keep on tickin'” planet as opposed to the fragile ecosystem that it truly was. People have been sounding the alarm for years, and too many have been dismissed as a hoax, or something not to worry about, as long as it wasn't going to happen tomorrow. So, I joined the Broward Sierra Group and have been a member for 23 years--all as Treasurer, and also as an active volunteer in tabling events, joining camping trips, and participating in monthly meetings, protests, outings, the Political Committee and our annual Earth Day event.

I do this because it's an uphill battle. We need to get more people concerned so they will get involved. One of my favorite lines from The American President is how everyone cares about the environment in a phone interview. It's not on many people's priority list (President Joe Biden mentioned the environment just once in his State of the Union address).  We hear about "once-in-a-lifetime" or "once-in-a-generation" calamities that are happening more and more often. For example, unlike most tropical storms, Hurricane Helene began in the Gulf of Mexico, which makes it a rarity (for now).

We have to be careful with our resources, for the sake of our planet and future generations that will live on it. So, if elected to the Executive Committee, I will run again for Broward Sierra Group’s Treasurer position (and continue to help out as needed). We have many parks, nature preserves, and wildlife refuges to explore, so I encourage more people to attend our meetings, outings, and camping trips and see that Florida isn't just big cities with condos and theme parks.

I am thrilled to be running for a position on the Executive Committee of the Broward Sierra Group. With nearly a decade of experience in environmental education and a current role in natural resources protection, I’ve dedicated my career to understanding and safeguarding the environments we all cherish.

As the current Outings Leader for our group, I’ve had the privilege of organizing and leading outdoor experiences that connect our members to the natural world. I want to continue fostering these experiences, bringing more members out into nature to help them develop a deeper commitment to conservation. Our chapter’s outings have the power to inspire action, and I would love to further expand this program as part of the Executive Committee.

I am also passionate about continuing the respect and presence of the Sierra Broward Group in Broward County by attracting younger members. Younger members bring fresh energy, new perspectives, and innovative ideas that will be essential to ensuring the Sierra Club continues to grow and evolve. I want to focus on outreach and engagement that make our chapter a welcoming space for people of all ages who care about the environment.

If elected, I will work hard to ensure that our group is both a force for local conservation efforts and a voice in the broader environmental movement across the state!

In the early 1990s, I was drawn to sunny South Florida for a year-round active outdoor lifestyle and above all, access to year-round stunning beaches. Since then, I've dedicated my life to raising three kids in Hollywood and ensuring a sustainable and viable future for them. As a family, we are deeply enamored by nature, spending time hiking, camping and road tripping across Florida (and beyond), and exploring the beauty of the natural world right in our backyards. Many a Friday night has been spent relaxing and socializing at Hollywood Beach, gardening, kayaking, or adventuring on bike trails.

I believe that we honor the spaces we are engaged in, and the communities to which we belong, through participatory action, activism and civic duty. I have always aimed to teach my children by example, speaking up where change is needed, so I have always contributed to my community through organizational engagement, activism and leadership. This includes working as an educator, volunteering on PTA Boards, serving as Director of Operations for seven years at the local soccer club, serving on the Hollywood Sustainability Action Committee, participating on the Environmental Committee at League of Women Voters, and most recently, as Co-Chair of the Broward Sierra Group Conservation Committee and an elected member of the Executive Committee. All while working full time for various local businesses!

Throughout the last three decades, I have experienced the spaces I love endure a slow degradation while becoming less and less accessible to many communities due to unsustainable policy and compounding social inequities. Further, my home and my neighbors' homes have become profoundly vulnerable to climate change, including increased flooding and high intensity storms becoming more common. The few free public green spaces are dwindling and the future I believed in and worked for is being constantly challenged at every level by the deep pockets of corporate interests.

To contribute to my community, my family and the sunny South Florida that I love, I'm seeking to once again serve on the Broward Sierra Group’s Executive Committee and as Co-Chair of the Conservation Committee. Together we will build a community that has equitable, accessible natural spaces and is conserved for future generations to love and enjoy.

I have been a Florida resident in Lauderhill for over 30 years. I moved here from New York to enjoy the healthy lifestyle, beauty, and exhilarating outdoor life that Florida welcomed me into. Over time, however, I have witnessed many changes to our environment here and not for the better. Trees disappearing and our roads becoming overcrowded and falling into disrepair. Severe flooding affecting our streets, sewers backing up into our waterways, and sea level rising dramatically. We see fish dying on the beaches, unhealthy drinking water in our homes, and the continuing overdevelopment of neighborhoods. So many people are not realizing how climate change is impacting and changing our cities--ruining our health, our Florida, and our world.

I had to do something about it and get involved! I joined the Broward Sierra Group and volunteered to work on the Political Committee because change starts with our locally and nationally elected officials. The Sierra Club does not take a stance on any political agenda other than strongly advocating for safeguarding our environment, protecting endangered species, and addressing the effects of climate change.

Last year, after reading a high schooler’s letter to the editor communicating her strong concerns about climate change and the deterioration of our environment, I immediately contacted her, knowing that our younger generation needs to be heard right now. Her name is Anagha Iyer, and she is passionate about promoting sustainability through advocacy, outreach and education. I asked her if she would like to form (and chair) the new Broward Sierra Group Junior Team of high school students, ages 14-18, and she jumped at the challenge. To date, we have gained over 40 active high school Junior Team members and their ranks are growing steadily!

I am once again seeking to serve on the Broward Sierra Group Executive Committee (ExCom). If re-elected to ExCom by our members and supporters this year, then I hope to once again serve as your group Chair if voted into the position by our new ExCom team on January 1, 2025.

As always, please help us continue to live up to our Sierra Club mission statement:

• To explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth.
• To practice and promote the responsible use of the earth’s ecosystem and resources.
• To educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment.
• And to use all lawful means to carry out those objectives.