That’s Melissa Hope, and she has recently joined the Sierra Club’s National Coal Campaign as Associate Regional Field Staff. Congratulations to Melissa! She served several years as Missouri Chapter’s Development Director and helped develop and implement our fundraising program, while also working on conservation issues. We will miss her direct help on our Chapter efforts, but know she is continuing to contribute to our greater conservation goals. In fact, Melissa is staying in the Kansas City area and will be working with Sierrans in Missouri and other region states.
The club’s “Coal Campaign” is a nationwide effort which combines national and local attempts to educate and engage the public regarding issues as they relate to coal and global warming. See http://www.sierraclub.org/coal/. The club’s coal campaign has already helped us in the Midwest. In 2007-2008, the campaign helped to contribute to the defeat of a new coal fired power plant in Norborne, Missouri. With Melissa on board, their work continues.