Congratulations to the winners of the 2026 Sierra Club Board of Directors election, and thank you to all Sierra Club members who voted.
The election concluded on April 29th. Based on a vote count carried out by Election Services Co., the independent firm that manages our annual board election.
A total of 41,285 members voted in the election, exercising one of the most important privileges of membership – helping continue our legacy of a democratically elected volunteer board.
This year, seven candidates ran for the five board seats up for election. The Nominating Committee selected 7 and no one ran by petition.
Our organization's Board of Directors is an all-volunteer team that collaborates on important decisions that determine our organization’s priorities, policies, and budget. These newly elected directors will join the continuing board members to make up Sierra Club's highest governing body.
The five candidates elected:
David Scott
David Holtz
Shruti Bhatnagar
Elisabeth Lamar
Anne Woiwode
Votes received | Percent of votes | |
David Scott | 31,588 | 16.63% |
David Holtz | 30,995 | 16.32% |
Shruti Bhatnagar | 28,008 | 14.75% |
Elisabeth Lamar | 25,749 | 13.56% |
Anne Woiwode | 25,306 | 13.33% |
Results for the other candidates who ran
Votes received | Percent of votes | |
Alejandro Ortiz | 24,367 | 12.83% |
Joi Travis | 23,894 | 12.58% |
Voting statistics:
Valid returns by internet | 12,783 |
Valid returns by mail | 28,502 |
Valid ballots returned | 41,285 |
Invalid ballots:# | 338 |
Total ballots distributed | 548,072 |
Valid Ballots Returned | 7.53% |
Sierra Club extends our heartfelt thanks to all of the volunteers and staff who made this year’s election possible, including: Acting Election Board Secretary Cynthia Hoyle; Inspectors of Election Marianne Dugan (Chief), Steve Krieg, and Mark Walters; Nominating Committee members Chris Applegate (Chair), Bryan Gomez, Nkrumah Frazier, George Chavez, Dyanna Pena, Mary Ann Ruiz, and Margie Van Cleve; Ballot Statement Review Committee members Victoria Brandon (Chair), Sharon Koch, Tom Thompson, and Frank Gruber; and Forum Questions Committee members Marlene Esquivel (Team Lead), Diane Stark, George Chavez, Mike Carberry, Gary Lasky, Celia Doremus, and Felicia Verdin Gomez; as well as the Internal Communications Team; Internal Engagement & Communications (Donnaly Atajar); Digital Strategy (Morissa Kellman); Membership Growth Team; Digital Design Team (Jen Ballou and Melody Hirsch); Chapter Bulletin (Emma Rabelhofer); Website Design Team (Lisa Reiser); and Fundraising Data and Systems Team (Brian Smith).
Thank you again to everyone who participated in this election. If you haven't already, you can sign up for an electronic ballot for next year’s election to help us save paper, postage, and money by completing this form.
Questions? Contact Sierra Club Member Care at 415-977-5500 or member.care@sierraclub.org.