Question

I bring a strong combination of nonprofit financial oversight, governance experience, independence and a deep commitment to transparency that prepares me to help the Sierra Club remain fiscally sound for the long term.

Professionally, I have worked in nonprofit management as an executive director with two organizations where financial stability depended on disciplined budgeting, clear reporting, and trust between boards, staff, and stakeholders. As a Sierra Club board member, I have engaged directly with budgets, audits, and financial planning. I understand that fiscal health is not simply about balancing numbers, but about aligning resources with mission, strategy, and values.

During my first term, Sierra Club experienced a management crisis that required the board to strengthen oversight. That period demanded improved transparency and a willingness to ask hard questions. I helped lead efforts to ensure directors received timely, accurate, and complete information and advice necessary to fulfill our fiduciary responsibilities while maintaining a collaborative relationship with staff. I also believe strongly that transparency builds trust. Clear, honest, communication about financial realities helps volunteers understand constraints, make informed choices, and remain engaged rather than alienated. I am committed to careful stewardship of Sierra Club’s resources, rigorous oversight, and a culture of openness that supports sound financial decision-making for years to come.

I’ve served as Sierra Club President and Treasurer, served for many years on the Finance and Risk Advisory Committee, which I serve on now. I've chaired a committee that reviews major gifts to assure compliance with our policies. The current board has taken steps to assure an improved budget process, with check-ins during the year. Of course we can always do better, and I am open to suggestions from chapter chairs and other representatives.

For over a decade, I have held chapter leadership roles and contributed to budgeting efforts. I value confidentiality while ensuring transparency. My personal experience with financial insecurity deepens my commitment to fiscal responsibility. The Club’s financial health is critical to our mission.

I currently serve as a commissioner appointed to the Austin Water and Wastewater Commission. As a commission we are tasked with reviewing and advising city council on all issues pertaining to Austin Water, the city’s public water and wastewater utility which serves over one million residents in the greater Austin area. This ranges from project approvals and rate deliberations to making recommendations regarding the City of Austin’s budget.

As a career advocate, I also understand the importance of balancing transparency with organizational interests, and I have consistently advocated for public transparency efforts in my home state of Texas. Prioritizing and preserving relationships with stakeholders, funders, and each other are all integral parts of ensuring that our organization is fiscally sound into the future.

As an attorney, I also know the importance of protecting sensitive information at all times. I am ready and able to compartmentalize what information is ready to be available at which times, while also nudging those around me to always fall on the side of additional transparency.

Every Sierra Club leader has a responsibility to ensure that our limited resources are properly and effectively used to further our mission, and they have a right to have input into how those resources are allocated. As a chapter director I navigated the unique complexity of Sierra Club’s finances and learned how to maximize our chapter’s effectiveness with limited funds. The Chapter Chairs Representatives (CCR), which I currently chair, has a mandate that includes advocating for the financial interests of chapters to the national staff and the board. As CCR chair I serve as a liaison to the Board, and participate in many of their meetings to bring the perspective of chapter volunteer leaders to their deliberations. I serve on the Board’s Finance and Risk Committee out of a deep concern that our financial health was insufficiently stewarded under past Executive Directors. I have strongly advocated for critical information about our financial health be shared with volunteers and staff who will be affected by decisions the board makes, and that meaningful and timely opportunities for input into policies under consideration must always be provided. As I write this, I am also part of a small team of chapter directors and Field Department leadership staff asking chapter chairs and directors about their funding priorities to ensure that their voices are included in developing the FY27 budget. This effort is long overdue, and I’ll advocate for this to be institutionalized going forward. 

have served on Boards and managed budgets of various sizes. I also understand the importance of how to handle sensitive information and making distinctions between what is sharable and what is not. I believe in transparency with strategic regulation to protect the integrity of any situation. I have supported development and fundraising efforts with my Board service that allow me to have consideration of multiple factors as it relates to finances of an organization and how to make sure financial decisions are sustainable. 

My professional work and experience serving on various boards and non profits, has provided me with relevant experience in finance, investment, philanthropy, and budget analysis. This includes experience in strategic financial oversight, risk management, transparent information sharing and long-term planning essential for fiscal stewardship.

As a Board member, I ask questions, review,and analyze complex financial statements, budget, and audit reports to understand the Club’s financial health, sustainability, and long-term viability. These oversight responsibilities have reinforced the importance of timely, clear and transparent information sharing so that financial decisions are informed, inclusive, and aligned across the organization. 

During my first term on the Board and as a member of the Finance and Risk Management Board Advisory Committee, I participated in financial discussions to deepen my understanding of the Club’s budget structure and financial framework.

My experience including serving on the Sierra Club Board of Directors has given me a strong sense of fiduciary responsibility to oversee financial and risk assessment, and prepared me to think critically about tradeoffs, priorities, and long-term sustainability.