The Executive Committee (ExCom) is the governing body of the North Star Chapter of the Sierra Club, with responsibility for overall activities, budgeting, and strategic planning.
There are 15 members of the ExCom, elected by members of the Sierra Club in Minnesota for rotating three-year terms.
Members reflect a diversity of backgrounds and talents, brought together by their common interest in environmental protection, and a commitment to help the chapter thrive and grow.
Constance Carlson
Buffalo
I grew up on an organic farm in western Minnesota and have a deep connection to soil, water, and community action. I have witnessed firsthand the positive impact humans can have on natural resources when they intentionally commit themselves to the lifelong work of environmental stewardship. My family farm is a place of refuge, for both me and the birds, pollinators, plants, and animals that call it home. (It’s one of the few places in the state where I regularly see red-headed woodpeckers!) I work for UMN Extension-Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships supporting communities across Minnesota to lead place-based sustainability projects. We are currently working with UMN climate expert, Heidi Roop, on a program that will help Minnesotans learn how to talk to their neighbors about climate change. A key part of my work is connecting growers and businesses with the UMN Forever Green Initiative, a research platform developing new crops that protect the soil and improve water quality while also providing economic opportunity so that farmers and communities can thrive. I’m interested in joining the Sierra Club Executive Committee to deepen my commitment to environmental stewardship and action, while also sharing my lived experience of caring for the land and community through my life and work.
Marty Cobenais
Bemidji
Boozhoo,
My name is Marty Cobenais, I am a current ExCom member and have been for 13 years. I am an enrolled member of the Red Lake Band and reside in Bemidji, MN. I am also a hereditary chief of the Pembina Treaty Council.
Most of you have known me as a opponent for pipeline through my work with the Indigenous Environmental Network. Since leaving that employment I have been elected 2 times to the Clearwater Co. Soil and Water District. I was a leader with Sierra Club and came up with the arrest-able event in Bemidji a couple of years ago.
I am a strong advocate for social justice issues and respecting all people. I believe in the indigenous way of thinking in that we must plan and make decisions for seven generations.
I would like to thank you for your support for the past several years and for your support for the next 3 years to help lead the charge to protect the precious environment we hold sacred in Minnesota.
Drew Davis
Minneapolis
I have served as part of the Executive Committee for the last three years, first starting as Assistant Treasurer and then stepping up as Treasurer last year to fill a vacant seat. I am grateful to have the opportunity to utilize my background in accounting and finance to help the chapter manage its finances. I have strong faith in the mission of the Sierra Club and I am constantly amazed by the work put in by staff and volunteers of the North Star chapter. I am a transplant to Minnesota, but now call this great state home. I want current and future generations to experience the beauty of this state, as well as live in strong and equitable communities. I have witnessed how the chapter fights for these causes and I would be honored to continue offering my skillset and perspectives on the Executive Committee in service of the chapter.
Katie Eukel
Minneapolis
I’ve been an active volunteer with the Sierra Club for more than a decade, and I proudly served as chair of the Executive Committee for several years. This work is a deeply meaningful part of my life. In many ways, I’ve grown up with the Sierra Club, and it would be an honor to continue serving as a member of the Executive Committee.
In my professional life, I’m a principal at Seiche, which is a strategy and communications consultancy focused on social impact. Every day, I work with clients committed to addressing climate change, advancing clean energy and protecting our wild places, among other issues. I work in Minnesota, and I work across the country. It’s work that I carry with me when I serve on the Executive Committee; the Sierra Club is part of a network working to advance climate justice and build a healthy, multiracial democracy.
We need a Sierra Club, now more than ever. I’m especially excited about the Chapter’s work to build our political power through the lenses of equity and environmental justice, which is necessary to explore, enjoy and protect the planet. I’m committed to ensuring that the Chapter grows and diversifies our membership to achieve our ambitious goals, and I would appreciate your support in continuing to serve on the Executive Committee.
Marilea Griggs
Minneapolis
I am a proud Minneapolis southsider and was born and raised in Minnesota. My educational background is in Environmental Science and I’m a member of the solar energy industry.
My top issue is making an impact on climate change. Right out of college I spent 4 years in environmental organizing and fundraising but ultimately shifted my focus to clean energy to maximize my impact on climate. For the past 5 years, I’ve been project managing solar installations on the residential, large commercial, and Community Solar Garden
scale. In my current role, I co-lead Target’s solar program and oversee the operations and maintenance of the solar arrays on Target stores and distribution centers nationwide in support of our commitment to being a net zero enterprise by 2040. Independent of my environmental work, I am passionate about local politics and my southside community. I spent this fall deep canvass phone banking with the Yes on 2 campaign to create the Department of Public Safety.
I’m energized by issues the Sierra Club is working on. Line 3 runs through the Nemadji River Watershed where my in-laws live so I look forward to making an impact on this and many other important issues.
Sasha Lewis-Norelle
Minneapolis
I’ve been an environmental activist and organizer for over three years now, fighting for environmental justice wherever I can. I started with divestment organizing at Macalester College, and have grown substantially as an organizer and activist as I fought Line 3, engaged other youth in activism, and work in my current job with Clean Water Action. At this point, fighting for our environment and justice has become my daily life, for which I am incredibly grateful. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Sierra Club before, especially on Line 3, and know how dedicated the organizers and volunteers are. The fight for justice, equity, and a livable, flourishing future is long and grueling. There is so much change to fight for, but I am forever grateful for the people and communities I get to work with. This is a key moment in history as we work to address the systemic issues that have caused environmental racism, the climate crisis, racial injustice and inequity, and so much more. I am dedicated to keep up the fight, to ensure that my own and future generations have clean air and water, a just and livable future, and the beautiful world they deserve.
Peter Teigland
Minneapolis
It’s been my pleasure to serve on the Chapter’s Political Committee for the last 9 years, where we’ve worked to identify and organize for political candidates that will push for racial and social equity and environmental justice. As an energy lawyer and advocate for solar in Minnesota, my professional work focuses on accelerating the clean energy transition. I believe passionately that tackling the climate crisis will also strengthen energy democracy, create good-paying jobs, and combat environmental injustices. It always demands good work, and sometimes requires good trouble. I try to spend as much time in Minnesota’s wild spaces as I can — especially with my spouse, our toddler, and our dog — and especially in the Fall.
It’s my hope to be of service to the ExCom, and put to new work my experience in political organizing and clean energy advocacy.
Shannon Walz
Finland
“Imagination shared creates collaboration, and collaboration creates community, and community inspires social change.” – Terry Tempest Williams
I love this Terry Tempest Williams quote because I believe that it captures the possibility for where we stand in our history right now. We are facing enormous social and environmental problems that are calling for us to examine the systems that we have created and their impact on people and the planet. I am excited about the work that the Sierra Club is doing to be part of building more just systems that support people and the planet. I would love the opportunity to serve on the Executive Committee of the North Star Chapter to share my skills and help the Chapter achieve its vision for the future. My career has been in Environmental Education and Community Engagement - most recently with Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center; and also on the West Coast in WA, OR, CA. I have been working to connect people with the natural world and wild places to foster love and care for our special places. In the last few years, I have expanded my focus to working with communities and organizations to build capacity and inspire change.
Sarah Wovcha
St. Paul
My first experience in environmental activism was in 1971 as a 4 year old in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where my siblings and I tabled to raise awareness about Gray Wolves. My family, originally from the Iron Range of Minnesota, has spent part of every summer of my life at an old log cabin along the Canadian border. When Voyageurs National Park was established in the region we recognized it as a critical factor in saving the wild character of the land. As I visit there with my own children now we face new threats begging renewed activism, including proposed copper/nickel mining that would impact the region’s watershed. As a lawyer with a masters degree in public health, I will bring to the Executive Committee a life long passion for Minnesota’s wild places as well as expertise in evidence-based advocacy. As the director of a non-profit serving low-income children for the past 21 years and a past long-time director of the Wedge Community Coop, I will bring twenty-six years of experience in successfully serving mission-driven organizations. I am most excited to support the North Star Chapter in improving sustained access to outdoor opportunities for disadvantaged children and families.