Adam Beitman, adam.beitman@sierraclub.org
OAKLAND, CA -- The Sierra Club has elected a new national Board of Directors for the upcoming board term, 2020-2021. Ramón Cruz of Puerto Rico, currently residing in New York City, was elected President, becoming the first Latino President in the organization’s 128-year history. The Sierra Club’s National Board of Directors is democratically elected by the organization’s membership and serves the organization's 3.8 million members and supporters.
Cruz has over 20 years of experience and advocacy at the intersection of sustainability, environmental & energy policy, urban planning, and climate change. He has worked in the public sector as the Deputy Director of the state environmental regulatory agency in Puerto Rico and held senior positions at the Environmental Defense Fund, the Partnership for New York City and the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy. Ramón is a graduate of American University in Washington D.C. and Princeton University in New Jersey.
“I am honored and humbled to be elected President, and especially excited to be the first Puerto Rican President of the Sierra Club and to come from our organization’s youngest chapter” said Cruz. “I recognize that my term comes during the enormously difficult and unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, as well as during the dark threat to the environment of the Trump administration. While the challenges we face are daunting, the magnitude of our response must meet the moment with a responsibility to ensure that we advocate effectively for policies that put front and center protecting the most vulnerable among us.”
Cruz’s top priorities as President include:
-
Advancing the Sierra Club’s movement toward equity and justice, especially by ensuring that the organization is an inclusive space for all people to contribute to a safe environment, working in partnership with local groups nationwide in accordance with the Jemez Principles.
-
Doubling down on the organization’s work to defeat the anti-environmental agenda of the Trump administration and the fleet of industry lobbyists and associates he has put in charge of the most important agencies of government.
“Ramón Cruz is a leader who has dedicated his life to protecting and preserving our environment, and the Sierra Club is thrilled to have him as our President” said Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune.
Other newly elected officers for 2020-2021 are Ross Macfarlane of Washington state (vice president); Natalie Lucas of Ohio (secretary); Mike O’Brien of Washington state (treasurer); and Debbie Heaton of Delaware (5th officer). Newly elected directors are Rita Harris of Mississippi, Marion Klaus of Utah, and Patrick Murphy of Texas.
###
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.8 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.