The Washington State Chapter of the Sierra Club has hired Sept Gernez, previous Interim Chapter Director and longtime Program Manager, to be the next permanent, full-time Chapter Director. After a thorough and inclusive hiring process over the last several months, Sept accepted the role and assumed responsibilities as of July 10th.
Since the Chapter’s previous Director, Jesse Piedfort, transitioned to a new Sierra Club role in November of last year, Sept has taken on the responsibilities of Director on an interim basis. Throughout this transitionary period, Sept has played a pivotal role to ensure that our mission to protect the environment and enjoy the outdoors didn’t falter - playing a pivotal role in significant accomplishments in the State Legislature this year.
Sept has been a key staff member for Sierra Club Washington State since 2016 - serving as the lead staff organizer for two successful campaigns to stop major new fossil fuel facilities: a proposed oil export terminal in Vancouver and a proposed methanol refinery in Kalama.
Statement from Sept Gernez, new Chapter Director
It’s an honor to serve as the executive director of the Washington State Chapter of Sierra Club! As the Chapter Director, I will empower our volunteers and staff to advance a sustainable future. As advocates for environmental justice, it is our mission to ensure our state transitions to a regenerative society built on a foundation of racial, economic, and gender equity – where all people benefit from a healthy thriving planet and a direct connection to nature.
We all come to this work from different perspectives. I am driven by the existential crisis that is climate change. I’ve spent my entire adult life with climate induced storms and fires taking lives and making the news. Now, children in the Pacific Northwest are growing up with smokey summers as a norm. It’s so difficult to accept both that we need to act now (like right now, yesterday, decades ago!) and that the systemic change needed for climate action takes time.
Climate Change is not simply an issue of too many gasses in the atmosphere. If it were that simple, we could have implemented solutions by now. Rather, what causes climate change is the fact that those who benefit most from pollution have the most political power, and those most harmed have less. In order to safeguard our communities from environmental destruction and climate impacts, we must shift these power dynamics. We must empower those who are most impacted by climate change and environmental degradation.
Organizing for environmental justice is difficult, emotional, but rewarding. The Sierra Club empowers community members to speak up for themselves and equip them with the tools they need to protect their communities and the environment. We’re working towards a future where every Washingtonian has access to clean and safe housing, transportation options, energy, water, air and green spaces; a future where culturally significant species like Orca and Salmon can thrive, and where our forests and public lands are protected and respected for their contribution to climate stabilization, cultural heritage and recreation for all.
We have our work cut out for us, but we can do it together. I’m excited to lead Sierra Club Washington State to safeguard our communities, our environment and our planet.
Statement from Mike O'Brien and Michelle Nitardy, Co-Chairs of Sierra Club Washington State
We are excited to announce that Sept Gernez, Interim Chapter Director, has accepted an offer to assume the Chapter Director role on a permanent basis. Sept has a long history with the Washington State Chapter of the Sierra Club and we couldn’t imagine a more qualified and experienced person to continue to lead us moving forward. Their dedication to the Chapter and an equitable, sustainable future for the State of Washington, its natural environment, and its residents is evident in their near decade long tenure with Sierra Club.
Over the past year, as Interim Chapter Director, Sept has demonstrated their ability to work collaboratively with Sierra Club’s long list of dedicated volunteer-leaders across the state, manage a growing team of Chapter Staff, and play a pivotal role in significant accomplishments in the State Legislature. All throughout this transitionary period, Sept has stepped up to ensure that our mission to protect the environment and enjoy the outdoors didn’t falter.
As Co-Chairs of the Chapter’s Executive Committee, we want to thank those that have participated in the hiring process with us - Brittney Bush-Bollay, Carter McBride, Jocelyn Silverlight, Julia Reitan, and Margie Van Cleve - who have done their best to keep this process as open, inclusive, and transparent as possible. Along the way, we’ve learned a lot about our team and how volunteer-leaders and national and chapter staff work together, and we are extremely grateful for their commitment throughout the hiring process.
We also want to thank the Chapter staff during this transition period. We are proud of the way they have grown together, as well as their ability to remain flexible and fill in the necessary gaps that have arisen. With that, with Sept stepping into the Chapter Director role full-time, we’re excited to continue to add additional talent and passion to the team to reach our full staffing capacity. Stay tuned for more info.