Meet your local group leaders!

 We always love to hear from our members. You can reach the Northeast Indiana team via e-mail any time at NEIN.SierraClub@gmail.com. Any meetings hosted by Sierra Club are always open to the public and to persons of all ages.  

Celia Elder, Chair

Celia is a strong advocate for protecting public health by raising awareness on the condition of our environment. Elder is currently working as an Administrative Assistant in the office of Experiential Education at Manchester Univeristy College of Pharmacy, Natural and Health Sciences (2018-present). Previous to Manchester, Celia worked her dream job as a seasonal Preserve Assistant for the Nature Conservancy, which solidified her commitment to battling invasive plant species in Indiana and protecting many senstive areas in Northeast Indiana. She has a passion for the Fort Wayne community, and serves on numerous boards including the Upper Maumee Watershed Partnership group, and the Maumee Watershed Alliance. Celia was also the vice president of Save Maumee Grassroots Organization from 2016-2020. In addition to her service on multiple community boards, she also serves on the Advisory Committee for Indiana's Domestic Action Plan for Lake Erie. Celia has been married for 3 years and is the mother of 5 beautiful children.

David VanGilder, Vice Chair

David Van Gilder represents persons who have been injured at work or through the negligence of others, especially in difficult cases.   He has been litigating personal injury and worker’s compensation cases since 1990 in state and federal courts.  He has helped individuals obtain long term disability benefits that were initially denied by employer insurance carriers. David has served as Guardian for many incapacitated veterans as part of his guardianship practice.

 David received a B.S in Environmental Studies from Bowling Green State Univ. in 1980 and a J.D., from American University, Washington College of Law in 1983.  Since 1996 he has been co-owner of the Van Gilder & Trzynka, P.C., in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  

One particular focus of David’s professional and non-profit work is to protect existing natural and cultural resources for future generations through acquisition, land use planning and enforcement of environmental laws. David serves on numerous environmental and social services boards and is active in the governance and missions of his church. He served in the Peace Corps in Botswana from 1986 through 1988.  He has been married for 35 years and has two daughters.