November 13, 2025 - January 1, 2026
The Missouri Sierra Club's Executive Committee is elected to serve you and fellow members in deciding policy, conducting governance, and keeping the Club effective in pursuing our key mission to explore, enjoy and protect the planet. We have some excellent candidates this year for your consideration and vote. We hope that you will review the following statements of our candidates. Voting is NOW OPEN and concludes at 11:59 PM on December 31, 2025. To vote you will need your member number. You can find your member number on the mailing label of your Sierra Magazine, or you can log in to https://myaccount.sierraclub.org/MyAccountLogin to find your Membership ID. If you need help, you can contact Member Care at member.care@sierraclub.org/415-977-5500 or the Missouri Chapter Office missouri.chapter@sierraclub.org/314-644-1011.
Click here to vote on or before December 31, 2025!
Meet Your 2025 Chapter Executive Committee Candidates:
Laura Gowans: Laura Gowans is a seasoned nonprofit leader with over 15 years of experience across mission-driven nonprofits and innovative tech companies. A Kansas City native, Laura has a strong record of local volunteer leadership, including a five-year tenure as President of SocialHeart, where she led strategic growth and the acquisition of an aligned local charity. Most recently, she served as Chief Operating Officer at Leanlab Education, an edtech nonprofit focused on research and innovation in learning technologies. She also serves on the advisory board for Scraps KC and is on the Board of Directors for the MO Consumers Council. She is also the Editor and Committee Chair of the eVoter with the League of Women Voters. Laura volunteers with Climate Changemakers and the ASPCA, and mentors early-stage startups through Launch KC. Her work is grounded in empathy, collaboration, and a passion for helping mission-driven organizations make meaningful change.
Outside of her career and volunteer work, Laura is passionate about the outdoors. Whether hiking, paddleboarding, or reading on her deck, she finds inspiration and renewal in nature—and believes strongly in the responsibility to protect it for future generations.
Kellsy Macdonald: "I am deeply passionate about making a positive impact in our community. I believe people CAN change; sharing information and empathy is the key here. I am here to provide passion, grit, and out-of-the-box thinking to drive engagement. Sierra Club is the best club to channel this energy for lasting change.
I can contribute technical experience from my civil engineering background and career in the solar industry. I have received leadership training through my employer and consistently receive positive recognition for task management and performance.
My biggest passion is sustainability which drives all my actions. You can find me going on long walks, tending to my house plants, gardening, home renovation projects, traveling, sewing, or relaxing with my boyfriend, cat, and dog."
Ruanda McFerren: Ruanda McFerren has been involved with the Thomas Hart Benton Group of the Sierra Club since November 2021. That is when she first attended a brush honeysuckle removal at Jerry Smith Park. Since then, she has been regularly involved, becoming an outing leader in 2023 and joining the Executive Committee in 2024. Ruanda has served as the THB Group Chair since April 2025.
A true “life-long learner,” Ruanda is always excited to see our built, social, and natural environments from a new perspective. Whether it is learning about the beneficial characteristics of “weeds” or sharing a hidden gem of a park, Ruanda is an advocate for exploring the nature around you. This expansive mindset is something that she brings into her work with public sector organizations. Ruanda is an Arkansas native and has lived in midtown Kansas City since 2018.
Claire Mueller: "Hey there, I’m Claire, an operations and project management expert focused on impact-driven spaces including sustainability, social justice, and ethical consumerism.
I’m determined to create a sustainable, equitable future by using my organizational skills to help others imbue more intentionality in their every day. I’ve been increasing my activism through community involvement and volunteering since moving back to St. Louis in 2023. I volunteered at two avian rehabilitation organizations (World Bird Sanctuary for raptors and Wild Bird Rehabilitation for passerines), serve on a communications planning committee for a regional climate summit hosted by OneSTL, serve on the Great Rivers Environmental Law Center’s Young Professionals Board, and founded the St. Louis chapter of Women and Climate. I also pivoted my career into a space more aligned with my values (no small feat, but worth every moment).
I’d like to become an ExCom member because I’d like to use my organizational skills to maximize impact and improve efficiency, doing the most good possible for our planet. I thrive on diverse, ambitious teams dedicated to continuously improving themselves and the world around them.
When I’m not working or volunteering, you can find me reading, at concerts, watching Formula1, or doting on my cats."
Stephanie Todd: "I am running for election to the Missouri Chapter Executive Committee to continue advocating for clean air and water, protecting green spaces, and protecting wildlife. As Chair of our Eastern Missouri Group's (EMG) ExCom this year, I streamlined the external funding process to expand our support for environmental projects. I also standardized EMG's communication guidelines to focus on projects and goals. I am active on the Chapter Conservation Committee and keep members informed of issues. As part of the Conservation Committee, I work with several organizations including a grassroots organization in University City to prevent flooding, the No Spray Coalition to eliminate pesticides in St. Louis City parks, and the Breath Better organization to stop air pollution coming into St. Louis from Illinois.
I appreciate your vote and look forward to continuing the work to achieve the Sierra Club’s goals."