Welcome Santa Lucia Chapter's new Coordinator
Editor’s note: Welcome and hello to Gianna Patchen who is the new Chapter Coordinator for our neighbor to the north, the Sierra Club’s Santa Lucia Chapter in San Luis Obispo County. Our chapters have many close ties, notably fighting on- and offshore oil, advocating for the proposed Chumash National Marine Sanctuary and so many more common issues.
By Gianna Patchen,
Santa Lucia Chapter Coordinator
Hello Santa Barbara-Ventura Chapter of the Sierra Club! I’m delighted to introduce myself as the new Chapter Coordinator for the Santa Lucia Chapter.
It’s an honor to step into the office of retired Chapter Director, Andrew Christie. Thank you to Andrew for 19 years of hard work and his mentorship. He left big shoes to fill!
As a former Santa Lucia Chapter Executive Committee member and intern, I’m grateful for this opportunity to support Central Coast advocates and communities.
For the past two and half years, I worked for the Northern Chumash Tribal Council on the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary campaign and beyond. I began as an outreach intern, then executive assistant and ultimately became the Chumash Sanctuary campaign manager. I collaborated with and learned from the NCTC team,
Central Coast Tribes, community members, policymakers, and NGOs.
Together we garnered over 110,000 comments with over 99% support during the Chumash Sanctuary’s final comment period. I’m excited to continue supporting their work and the Central Coast’s intersectional environmental issues.
These first months as Santa Lucia Chapter Coordinator, I’m learning and exploring with a focus on community building. Thank you for your hard work and support of the Sierra Club, we couldn’t do it without you!
P.S. Have ideas for collaborative Chapter work? Contact the Santa Lucia Chapter here: