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Board of Directors 2009 Election

Online voting will begin March 2, 2009.

Candidate Forum
The Volunteer Leadership Advisory Committee and the Forum Questions Committee solicited potential questions from a broad spectrum of Club leaders and activists. Ten questions have been selected and posed to the candidates for the 2009 Board of Directors election.

Candidates
Click on any of the candidates below to see that candidate's responses to all 10 questions.

• Lane Boldman (N)
• Laurence Gibson (N)
• Robin Mann (N)
• Frank Morris (P)
• Rafael Reyes (N)
• David Scott (N)
• Chris Warshaw (N)
• Phil Wheeler (N)

(N) identifies a Nominating Committee candidate, and (P) a candidate who qualified by petition.

Questions
Click on any of the questions below to see all candidates' responses to that question.

Qualifications/Personal Statement

1. What leadership positions have you held in the Sierra Club, and what have you accomplished in those positions?
2. What needed skills or abilities will you bring to the Board of Directors: A team player? Conflict resolution experience? Financial expertise? Technology/communications? Other? Be specific.

Political Strategy and Public Image

3. A lot has changed in the last 6 months—President-elect Obama's victory, the unprecedented economic crises, the number of people energized by the election. How should the Sierra Club view its role in this changed environment?
4. Please comment on the question of the Club engaging in business partnerships, including the Club's recent experience in cause-related marketing with Clorox Greenworks line of household cleaning products?

Sierra Club Activities and Organizations

5. What is your experience with outings, and what do you see as their role in the Club?
6. In the spirit of One Club, what do you see as the proper relationship of staff and volunteers to each other and to the mission of the Club in 2009 and beyond, and how would you improve the connection between National Sierra Club operations and grassroots leadership?
7. What is your experience with grassroots organizing? What do you see as the key differences between 20th century grassroots organizing and 21st century grassroots organizing?
8. What is your vision of ways to finance the Club's Chapters, Groups, and volunteer structures in the next 2, 5, and 10 years? Would you support mechanisms such as national-chapter fundraising partnerships, new types of grants, allocation of funds based on non-demographic criteria, or general assistance in outside fund-raising? Suggest other ways. Please be specific.

Communication, Recruiting, and Outreach

9. The Club is undertaking work to bring more youth and diverse cultures into our membership and leadership. What specific strategies would you advocate to accomplish this?
10. How effective are the Sierra Club's publication and electronic communication tools and which ones do you read or use?