We are very excited to announce two new additions to the Sierra Club’s Lone Star Chapter team. Bekah Hinojosa is our new Chapter Conservation Organizer based in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and Olka Forster is our new Chapter Communications Coordinator based in Austin.
Bekah’s goal is to influence the development of an environmental justice movement that is intersectional with social justice in the RGV. She is currently working closely with the LRGV Group to raise awareness of and prevent the construction of three proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals.
Olka will play a key role in ensuring our communications strategies are executed and in line with our broader efforts to connect with new stakeholders and key decision makers. She will be coordinating our earned media efforts, in addition to maintaining an engaging website, elevating our social media presence, producing our monthly newsletter, and contributing to message development.
Bekah Hinojosa
Bekah is a multi-generational fronterista from the Rio Grande Valley. She earned her BS in Geography from the University of North Texas located in Denton, TX. While attending UNT, she organized with the Sierra Student Coalition to phase the campus off fossil fuel energy, resulting in the university developing a feasibility study. This movement eventually bridged to the community to push for effective regulations on urban oil & gas drilling, with the overarching goal of becoming a 100% renewable energy-powered city. Her efforts led to Denton becoming the first city in Texas to vote on a ban on fracking. Bekah is also an Environmental Justice Arts & Activism trainer and has traveled across the country to help communities create artistic visuals and to promote organizing networks.
Olka Forster
Olka Forster is a graduate of Towson University with a degree in Cultural Anthropology. Her undergraduate research focused on HIV/AIDS, gentrification, and human rights discourse through audiovisual methods in the city of Baltimore. Olka is a native of The Gambia, Africa and has previously worked as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Siem Reap, Cambodia and a journalist in Quito, Ecuador. Her interests include hand pulled dumplings, tacos, and non-exploitative quinoa. She hopes to be able to empower historically disenfranchised communities in the fight for environmental protection and continue to impact the world in positive ways.
Welcome, Bekah and Olka!