KENT ROWE (CHAPTER AND SOUTHWIND GROUP)
Kent Rowe has been a Sierra Club member for over ten years. He has been active in lobbying at both state & local levels. Presently, he is working on community efforts to bring electrification to underserved communities. Additionally, he is serving to ameliorate groundwater contamination in the northeast Wichita region. Measuring air pollution from various sources is also ongoing. National Drive Electric Week organizing is now in its 4th year. Engineered solutions to the Climate Crisis are presented by way of testimonials to the Kansas Corporation Commision. Kent lives in a rural setting outside Andover, Kansas and grows native pastures. He is also a Chickasaw speaker and writer. He is a retired Associate Professor of Aeronautical Science for the US Air Force.
MARGARET KRAMAR (WAKARUSA GROUP)
I am firmly committed to being part of the Wakarusa Group, a dedicated, energetic group of individuals who are scoring environmental victories at the local level and beyond. My husband Tad and I are the proprietors of Hidden Hollow Farm, an organic fruit and vegetable small business, so we are engaged in producing healthy local food for people. I am a Douglas County Extension Gardener as well as the sustainability coordinator for this organization, and present eco-tips at the monthly business meetings. During the Kansas legislative session, I spend time testifying before committees and lobbying legislators about environmental and social justice issues. I recently posted a website which allows me to blog and educate the public about environmental issues: plainsspeaking.com.
CHRIS HAMILTON (TOPEKA GROUP)
I've been helping organize meetings and educational presentations for 2 years. I hope to continue. My main concerns are water, plastics, renewable energy and climate change which I taught at universities for 18 years.
STEVE BARU (CHAPTER and KANZA GROUP)
I have spent time in Sierra Club on many levels, national, state and local and have been state chapter chair and group chair in my past. I’d like to return to the leadership of the chapter and provide my energy and expertise to help Sierra Club fulfill its environmental objectives. I currently wear a few hats in our community, including working for a company that manages retirement plans, and teaching Economics on the university level. I’ve spent 14 years as a commissioner of the Johnson County Parks and Rec, twice as Board chair. At the national level of Sierra Club, I’m on the Grassroots Network Strategy Team, which supports grassroots activism around the country. My education includes master’s degrees in finance, economics and strategic management.
BILL HEATHERMAN (FLINT HILLS GROUP)
Flint Hills Chapter is an important gateway to north central and western Kansas, and the potential for the Flint Hills group is strong. The current core of officers is working steadily to build up capacity, find compelling programs, and assist the Group from emerging from the COVID slowdowns to a more active future. This would be my second 2-year term on the board and I am interested in continuing to assist, especially on programming and organizational matters. My personal environmental interest include water resources and policy, river and stream ecology, environmental justice, and the intersection of environmental and agricultural and land policies.
RAMON POWERS (TOPEKA GROUP)
I support all efforts to address the vital environmental issues of this critical time in Climate Change and Environmental Degradation.
LORI LAWRENCE (SOUTHWIND GROUP)
Hello, Southwind Group! I am running again to fulfill the many obligations Southwind Group has started under my leadership as Chair for the last couple of years. I believe outreach is vital as well as working on issues within our boundaries which is quite spacious. I've had a great leadership team since I've served on the ExCom and we have to keep it going!
JOHN NEUBERGER (KANZA Group)
I have been a member of the Sierra Club and the Kanza Group for many years. My local role has included membership on the Ex-Com, where I am currently Nominations Chair. I represent either the Sierra Club or myself on the Air Quality Forum of the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC), the Active Transportation Programming Committee of MARC, where I am Kansas Co-Chair, and the Environmental Advisory Council of Overland Park. My teaching of Environmental Health at the University of Kansas School of Medicine has benefited from my interactions with members of the club. I have broadened my discussion of the impact of the environment on humans to the impact of humans on the environment. I am extremely concerned about climate change on the health of humans and wildlife. Our planet is in jeopardy.
DAN WANCURA (KANZA GROUP)
Having been on the Kanza team before, I know what to expect. I'll bring political data to the team as well as converse on a number of relevant topics. I continue to run Green Drinks and will look to team up on events between this group and Sierra Club.
TAD KRAMAR (WAKARUSA GROUP)
I am running for re-election because I am actively committed to doing whatever I can to reduce global warming and preserve our natural environment. I have been an active member of the Sierra Club for many years and served on the Kansas Chapter’s Political, Legislative, Nominating and Elections Committees. I have testified many times at the Kansas Legislature, Lawrence City Commission, Douglas County Commission and Kansas Corporation Commission for environmental causes, most recently in favor of solar energy and the single-use plastics ordinance, and against Evergy’s proposed rate increase. At home we have solar panels, a solar tracker, and geothermal HVAC. We drive an electric car, grow numerous fruits and vegetables, and are restoring a field to native plants for pollinators.
FELIX REVELLO (SOUTHWIND GROUP)
I remain committed to serving on Southwind ExCom to fight the seemingly overwhelming environmental threats confronting us locally and globally. Experience gained while working with fellow members during my previous term includes: SC Grassroots grant providing disadvantaged Wichita communities with re-useable shopping bags to replace single-use plastic bags, lesser prairie chicken testimony for USFWS, “cryptomining” ban in McLouth and writing testimony to protect ornate box turtles. Experiences gained in desegregation marches and Sierra Club tell me that a few courageous individuals overcome many obstacles. If re-elected to Southwind ExCom, I will challenge all of us to forcefully advocate for our environment at every opportunity by partnering with diverse people and organizations.
HAROLD DRAPER (KANZA GROUP)
The year 2024 is setting up to be an important one for Kansas and conservation. The Farm Bill is being discussed this fall and is due for renewal. At the same time, climate change is increasingly being tied to extreme weather events. Because it has both a national and local focus, the Sierra Club is in a unique position to find examples of solutions that can be implemented in Kansas. At the same time, we have to listen to the conservation problems of both the rural and urban areas, as well as the poor and ethnic minorities of the state. It will be a challenging year. In the end, we will have to make sure that climate voters show up. I hope to work on these problems at the Kanza Group level.
YVONNE CATHER (CHAPTER)
I am a lifetime member of Sierra Club and an active volunteer leader since 1990. I am a good team player, a quick learner, and a detail-oriented person. I will be glad to continue contributing my time and efforts to make a difference for Kansas Sierra Club and the community in which we live, work and play. Positions I held in the Club have been an asset in developing my skills. I worked and supported local, state, and national committees within Sierra Club. I led and participated in the Cool Cities Campaign, Step It Up – National Day of Climate Action, and Occupy Koch Town. I helped organize for the Stop Keystone XL Initiative, along with the Peoples Climate March. I am a legal assistant in the Wichita community and enjoy hiking, biking, boating, camping, and reading books.