FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 24, 2021
Contact:
Brandon Dawson, brandon.dawson@sierraclub.org (830) 309-1092
California’s Largest Grassroots Environmental Advocacy Organization Names New Director
SACRAMENTO— Today the executive committee of Sierra Club California announced that it has appointed Brandon Dawson as the organization’s new director. Dawson has been interim director since the retirement from Sierra Club of longtime director Kathryn Phillips in April 2021.
Sierra Club California is the state arm of the national Sierra Club, representing California’s 13 local Sierra Club chapters and more than half a million members and supporters statewide at the state capitol and state regulatory agencies in Sacramento. It is a volunteer-driven organization and the boldest voice for the environment on state-level issues.
Dawson joined Sierra Club California as a Policy Advocate in 2018. He has advocated on issues relating to water, parks, wildlife, agriculture, public lands, land use, and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). He has led the state-level advocacy for the organization’s work to protect the San Francisco Bay-Delta, restore and revitalize the Salton Sea and surrounding communities, preserve California’s unique biodiversity and wildlands, and defend against harmful rollbacks to CEQA in the state legislature.
“Brandon has demonstrated a commitment to Sierra Club’s mission and goals and has put that commitment into effective action since joining Sierra Club California. He understands how important the grassroots voice is in moving policies that not only advance traditional environmental issues, but that also advance equity so that all Californians can live in a state with clean air, clean water, protected wildlands and wildlife.” said Eric Parfrey, chair of the Sierra Club California Executive Committee. “Brandon is also a member of a generation that will live with and witness the worst effects of climate change if we don’t act more aggressively to stop climate pollution. As a volunteer-driven organization, we are committed to ensuring more aggressive action on climate change and a strong commitment to ensure our staff, volunteer leadership and membership reflect the diversity of the state.”
Before joining Sierra Club California, Dawson worked on environmental and natural resource litigation for the U.S. Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division in Washington D.C. During law school he interned for both Earthjustice and the Environmental Defense Fund. He received his B.A. from Texas A&M University and J.D. from the Indiana University - Bloomington Maurer School of Law.
"I am proud to be the first Black man to lead Sierra Club California,” Dawson said. “As the state experiences the increasingly severe impacts of the climate crisis, I am excited to fight for the needs of California communities and the environment, hold our public officials accountable, and build on the great work of my predecessors."
Sierra Club California was established in 1986 to ensure that Sierra Club members spoke with one voice in the state Capitol and at regulatory agencies. Since then the organization and its volunteers have been involved in shaping and passing nearly every significant environmental policy produced by the legislature and agencies.
Sierra Club California is the legislative and regulatory arm of Sierra Club’s 13 local chapters in California, representing nearly half a million members and supporters.