The Sierra Club is the largest democratically run environmental organization in the world, with direct election of leaders at the national Board, state Chapter and local Group level each year. Participation by members in the voting process is crucial for maintaining this structure. The Executive Committee (ExCom) for the Huron Valley Group is responsible for the administration and operation of the group, and does so entirely with volunteers. This fall, HVG members will be electing three ExCom members for two-year terms beginning in January 2021. The Nominations Committee has nominated four candidates for the four ExCom positions.
The Elections Committee is responsible for collecting candidate statements and for the production, mailing, receipt, and counting of ballots. All Sierra Club members within HVG territory (Washtenaw, Monroe, and Lenawee Counties) at the time the mailing list for the Fall newsletter is generated are eligible to vote. The ballot can be submitted no later than the December 21. Please review the candidate statements below and submit your ballot. Voting reinforces your involvement with the Sierra Club Huron Valley Group.
| The Candidates | |
|---|---|
 Jessica Ankley |
My name is Jessica Ankley and I am a recent graduate from the University of Michigan where I studied Environmental Science and Political Science. Currently residing in Ypsilanti, I'm learning first-hand about the importance of a strong community bond. Being a place outside of Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti oftentimes gets put on the back burner when it comes to representation among the environmental community. My apartment complex is near the Huron River which contains large, flashy signs of PFAS warnings. We lack a composting service and litter is frequent in our public parks. However, this does not mean the people that live here don't seek environmental prosperity. We simply lack the support to receive it. I believe I could provide valuable insight on an important, beautiful, resilient part of Washtenaw County to the HVG. I have experience in working with Clean Water Action, local campaigns, and the Sierra Club based in Lansing, of which I've developed the necessary skills to understand individuals in communities who believed they were left behind. If I were to join the Sierra Club Executive Committee, I'd be able to serve my community on an even greater level and represent the town that I deeply care for. |
 Dan Ezekiel |
HVG members, I ask for your vote to continue on the Huron Valley Group Executive Committee. I’m a lifelong environmentalist, a graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School (twice) and the U of M School of Natural Resources (now SEAS). I’m also a career science teacher, mostly in the Ann Arbor Public Schools, and I hold a Masters degree in Education Leadership. I helped found Recycle Ann Arbor, led the fight to save the Ann Arbor school district’s Environmental Education Program, chaired the city’s Greenbelt Commission, and currently serve on the Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission. I’ve had the honor to chair the Huron Valley Group’s Executive Committee since being elected two years ago. My team has reinvigorated the Outings program, which should be the base of any Sierra Club group. We have advocated successfully for ambitious climate initiatives by Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, and the Ann Arbor school district. Currently we are focused on helping elect an environmentalist President, US Congress, and Michigan legislature. We have moved toward refreshing our group into one that reflects our constituency, especially younger folks and people of color. We recently collaborated with two other Sierra Club groups to present a program about Environmental Justice, and we’ve held a series of meetings with opinion leaders in eastern Washtenaw County to discuss the ways we can better serve the environmental needs of citizens of color and less-affluent citizens. I look forward to an Executive Committee that will be 3/7 people of color after this election (up from zero two years ago). We aren’t perfect, and we still have much to do and learn. I’ll appreciate your support and your feedback. Onward and upward, and let’s keep Exploring, Enjoying, and Protecting the planet! |
 Jason Frenzel |
Hello fellow HVG members. I’m honored by the potential opportunity to serve on the executive committee for another two years, thank you for taking the time to review all the candidates. For the past 23 years I’ve worked in the Washtenaw/SE Michigan area creating and supporting environmental initiatives. For my first years out of college, as an AmeriCorps worker, I worked with local farmers to install measures that protect environmental resources. I worked for 10 years at the City of Ann Arbor’s Natural Area Preservation, drastically increasing the number of stewardship workdays, Park Stewards, and other volunteer positions. For the past 10 years I’ve worked at the Huron River Watershed Council. Again, my work has been to increase resident participation in promoting the health of our shared environment, mostly through citizen science. My volunteer work over the years has included founding and serving on the HomeGrown Food Festival and Local Food Summit, long-time volunteering with the Jim Toy Community Center, and serving as the president of the national association of volunteer managers. Over the past 2 years on HVG’s executive committee, I served as Treasurer and Secretary. In this role I’ve worked to make the notes and books more transparent and more readily utilized by the leadership team and others. This has also meant helping Mr Ezekiel on numerous projects including outreach to eastern Washtenaw and improving our internal meeting structures. One of our greatest successes has been the increase in participation in our leadership team, allowing more voices to be present and lessening the load on each team member. I look forward, with your support, to increasing all of these initiatives – diversity, community voice, transparency, impact, and team health – over the next two years. |
 Tajalli Hodge |
Hello Huron Valley Group, thank you for this opportunity to be considered as a member of your executive committee. I’ve always been drawn to improving our green spaces. While in college, I volunteered cleaning oil off of wildlife after the 2010 Enbridge oil spill into the Kalamazoo river. I graduated with me degree in biology and environmental science. Soon after, I found a career with the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD), where I’ve worked over the past 6 years in two different divisions protecting both the environment and our fellow Michiganders and gained experience nagivating and interpreting a multitude of laws and regulations. I’m also extremely passionate about our green spaces and parks in Ypsilanti township where I live. I realized that some of our neighborhood parks are under-utilized and undeveloped. Because I see and am living with the disparity in park resources, I was motivated to run for our Township Park Commission where I will strive for the change I wish to see in our community. Having won my August primary and having no opponents in November, I look forward to taking office this fall. Improvements that I am working towards in Sugarbrook Park include: pollinator plantings (which I’m hoping to work with the Sierra Club on), a community herb and Michigan native wildflower garden, a dog run, as well as additional seating and parking. I hope to lend my experience to the Sierra Club and look forward to continuing my relationship with HVG as we work to improve the environment and work to address environmental justice issues. Thank you |