Sierra Club Georgia Chapter 2019 Elections

Berneta L. Haynes

Residence: Atlanta
Joined: 2019
Berneta L. Haynes is currently the Senior Director of Policy and Access at Georgia Watch, where she works to make quality healthcare, financial literacy, energy programs and civil justice more equitable and accessible for all. An attorney and champion of equity and justice, Berneta brings a unique mix of legal advocacy work, writing expertise and innovative use of digital journalism to impact pressing consumer issues. Previously, she spent several years practicing environmental law and championing energy equity at Environmental Law and Policy Center in Chicago and Southern Environmental Law Center in Atlanta. Outside of her advocacy work, she is a published novelist and runs a website showcasing indie authors. Berneta received a J.D. from University of Iowa College of Law, a B.A. in English, Psychology, and Writing from Drury University, and a Master’s in English from the University of Iowa. Her interest in equity and justice stems from her liberal arts background and research around intersections of race, class, and gender in American culture.

Tejas Kotak

Residence: Atlanta
Joined: 2017
I grew up in the Gwinnett suburbs, and moved to Atlanta a decade ago to attend Georgia Tech. I’ve been environmentally-conscious since I was young, and I try to live my values, so I live car-free, eat a mostly-vegetarian diet, and I work as a Transportation Planner with the Atlanta Regional Commission, a government agency that straight-facedly discusses climate change and local mitigation tactics.

For the past two years I have been Chair of the RAIL Committee. Transportation policy and transit expansion is something I care a lot about as I rely on MARTA (and good sidewalks!) to get around, and because transportation is the largest contributor to climate change in the US. Notable accomplishments as Chair include moderating a More MARTA panel with representatives from MARTA and various community stakeholders, which helped our members understand MARTA’s plan and helped push MARTA to change it for the better; and bringing in speakers from local government and government agencies to talk about transit and transportation projects in the Atlanta region.

If elected to ExComm, I hope to continue to use my background in transportation policy to help guide Sierra Club efforts towards creating a greener, cleaner, and more equitable Georgia.

Amneh Minkara

Residence: Atlanta
Joined: 2018
I'd like to thank the Georgia Chapter for the opportunity to run for a position on the Executive Committee! My name is Amneh Minkara, and I’m a 22-year-old law student at Emory University. I grew up in Cobb County near Kennesaw Mountain before moving down to Atlanta to study natural resource law and environmental policy. I’ve been volunteering since the 2018 election season when our Environmental Law Society joined the Sierra Club canvassing efforts ahead of crucial elections for the Public Service Commission.

Since then, I’ve been a regular volunteer with many of the Georgia Chapter’s projects, including the Beyond Coal Campaign. As a local leader with the Sunrise Movement, a youth movement focused on promoting the Green New Deal, my focus has been on energizing young people around elections and environmental issues both locally and at the national level.

I believe I’d bring a lot of important skills and qualities to the Ex-Com. While I am a Georgia native and I am deeply connected to our local environmental issues, I have also been shaped by other aspects of my identity. I am a proud member of the LGBT community and the daughter of a Muslim immigrant. I view intersectionality across identities and issues to be crucial to achieving our collective goals.

Jeff Schoenberg

Residence: Dunwoody
Joined: 2012
I have been on ExCom for a couple of terms and am currently serving in my first year as Chapter Chair. It has been a great deal of work, but it feels like a privilege. As we are currently dealing with significant staff transition, continuity in leadership is important. I have been a champion for professionalizing our local fundraising so we can better engage in Georgia-specific priorities. I also demanded we do some strategic planning to better align our staffing with our conservation priorities. My first principle is that we must do a better job integrating our statewide volunteer base into the life and work of the organization. Our strength really is in our numbers. With thousands of fired up activists, we will have the power to change how Georgia works on energy, conservation, sustainability and climate. I hope you will give me the chance to continue serving your Sierra Club.

Stacy Shelton

Residence: Atlanta
Joined: 2019
My first encounter with the Georgia Chapter was in 2002 when I met the lobbying duo of Mark Woodall and Neill Herring at the Capitol. I’d just started covering the environmental beat for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Not only did those two seem to have more fun than anyone else, they also helped make sense of the confounding developments under the Gold Dome.

Since leaving the newspaper, I’ve been on a path of increasing environmental advocacy. From 2009 to 2014, I worked in communications for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in Atlanta. My favorite projects were a web-based series localizing climate change impacts on plants and animals, and building public-private partnerships around proactive wildlife conservation.

In 2014 I took a timeout to fulfill a long-held desire to attend law school and moved to Vermont. After graduating, I clerked in Vermont’s unique environmental court. Today I’m an associate attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center where I assist our senior and staff attorneys in coal ash work and litigation related to Plant Vogtle.

Here’s what I’ve learned so far, something the Sierra Club figured out decades ago: environmental progress doesn’t need to wait on the federal government. Clean water, clean air, clean energy and abundant wildlife are local choices. I want to help Georgia make the right decisions, and appreciate this opportunity to run for the Executive Committee.

Amanda Woomer

Residence: Atlanta
Joined: 2019
As a Georgia native who cares deeply about conserving the state’s varied ecosystems, I am both honored and excited to be considered for the Georgia Sierra Club’s Executive Committee. Environmental conservation is a passion of mine, and this passion extends from my personal life to my professional endeavors.

I currently sit on the board of the Atlanta Audubon Society and support its efforts to build places where both birds and people can thrive through conservation and advocacy. You can find educational signs I created for Audubon’s bird friendly garden as well as during my volunteer work for the Piedmont Park Conservancy in the park’s Piedmont Commons. I also recently became involved with the Sierra Club’s Wildlands Committee and am excited to grow my contribution there. In my professional life, I have worked with Conservation International and other organizations to use my skills in monitoring and evaluation to support positive engagement with communities. Environmental impact has also never been far from my mind in my work with The Carter Center and now Habitat for Humanity International.

My weekends are spent paddling Georgia’s streams or hiking its trails, so protecting our natural lands is personal for me. I strongly believe that environmental conservation cannot happen without collaboration, hard work, and deep reflection. While new to Sierra Club, I hope to use my professional skills and personal passion to further the Club’s work.

Jennie Bartee

I would like to serve on the executive committee of the Centennial Group to help bring positive changes in the environment, particularly in my local area. Earth now faces clear and present dangers requiring committed individuals to address climate change with science-based measures. I am committed to that challenge and to engaging others into service for our planet.

I have always been an environmentalist and grew up playing in the dirt, collecting cicada shells and “roly-polies”, and climbing trees, experiences that made me truly appreciate what nature affords us and what serious threats exist. Having a sense of fairness and the importance of engaging and looking out for vulnerable, less-fortunate communities are also part of my upbringing.

I have been a member of the Sierra Club since 2003. I am also active with Cobb Progressives, Climate Reality (I attended Al Gore's 3-day training in Atlanta); Cobb4Transit, and Sustainable Smyrna.

Todd Daniel

As I write this, the Amazon Rainforest is burning. Most of the fires are started by farmers and ranchers who are opting for immediate commercial gain while destroying our planet. There's little I can do to stop it, but I can help by supporting one of the world's greatest environmental organizations. What I am seeing with climate change destroys my soul, but doing green volunteer work keeps me going. I thank you for considering me for the Centennial Group Excom. A Sierra Club member since 1997, I am a former chair of the group and have held various positions on the state and national levels. My vision is to see the Club become more diverse, in terms of age, race, and political orientation. It will take all of us, working as a team, to reduce the carbon in the atmosphere and to create a world that is healthy and sustainable for all living creatures, as well as future generations.

Lynn Walston

I am a semi-retired school teacher, and I have been a member of the Sierra Club since 1985. Quite a few years ago, in the 1990’s, I served on the Executive Committee shortly after the Centennial Group was formed. The club has changed and grown quite a bit, but back then, I enjoyed writing an occasional article for the newsletter and participating in local decisions, programs, outings, and retreats. I have continued to follow the club’s activities over the years, and I regularly respond to Sierra Club and other environmental organizations’ calls for action. Activism has become a naturally acquired passion and concern for me.

I am particularly passionate about preserving land for parks and hiking, transit expansion, coal ash and other toxic waste removal, since these are current Centennial Group initiatives.

It would be an honor to serve on the Centennial Executive Committee again.

Dan Friedman

My name is Dan Friedman, and I am running for re-election. I have been Chairperson and I have been a member since 2002. During my tenure, we have reached out and worked with environmental and civic organizations. We have expanded our water monitoring program and have had an impact in local elections. I want to continue our progress and would appreciate your support.

Michael Hallen

I am Michael Hallen, from Snellville, and I have been a member since 1999. I currently lead the Stream Monitoring program and want to continue to lead that program in Gwinnett. I have been active activist in county, state, and national elections and would continue these activities in the all important election year in 2020.

Scott Presson

I am Scott M. Presson, and I am a candidate for the Gwinnett ExCom. My wife and I have been joint Sierra Club members since 1988, and we have resided in Lawrenceville for 20 years. I am retired from a career in public health. I have become an active volunteer in the Georgia Sierra Club for the past two years, volunteering for the Clean Energy for All Committee on the Chapter level. My focus is the Sierra Club’s Ready for 100 Program, which aims to encourage cities and counties to commit to a transition to 100% clean, renewable energy. I will work towards, and hope to see, Gwinnett County and the cities within make a Ready for 100 commitment. I regularly attend the Gwinnett Group meetings, and I look forward to contributing as a member of the Gwinnett ExCom.

Sharon Yun

I am running for the Sierra Club Gwinnett Group Executive Committee because I deeply appreciate the work of Sierra Club. As a testament to this, my husband Thomas Yun and I just signed up as lifetime members. I believe in putting my beliefs into action, and Sierra Club gives me an opportunity to be engaged in the political process to enact change in regards to environmental and climate justice. The meetings are always very educational and help me be a more informed and engaged citizen. I want to see this resource for the community continue by carrying the torch our dedicated leaders have carried for so long. Corporations and wealthy elites have been pushing their harmful agendas on the nation and world for too long, and it is overdue for the silent majority to be heard and represented in policies that reflect their values and needs. The health of our entire planet is at stake and our children are crying out begging us to do something about it. I want to do right by them.

Joanna Baxter

My mother was instrumental in teaching my brother and me a love and appreciation of the outdoors. She was an avid, outspoken environmentalist with the Georgia Conservancy and was instrumental in the preservation work of the Swamp of Toa in Albany. My brother became a National Park Ranger and spent many years working in Yosemite. It was during this time that I learned about John Muir and began reading extensively about him, his passion for the environment, and the beginning of the Sierra Club. I have been a member of the Sierra Club since 2000. At this time, I am also actively working with the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper and am an instructor on the Floating Classroom on West Point Lake.

Ken Fiske

Ken has served two terms on the LaGrange Executive Committee and is ready to jump in for another round. His leadership contributions have included organizing teams for roadside litter pickups and West Point Lake cleanups. He enjoys both kayaking and hiking, though he claims he excels in neither.

Ellen Parkhurst

Ellen owns and operates a farm in Southern Troup County. She therefore understands the importance of clean air, clean water, and conservation of resources. A member of the Sierra Club since 2007, she has been responsible for the membership drive and public relations for the local Sierra Club. She has participated in local cleanup and restoration projects.

Travis Towns

Growing up in the countryside of Mountville and wanting to be an Indian when I grew up gave me a reverence for Mother Nature from an early age. Going hiking, camping, and all sorts of outdoor activities in Boy Scouts further instilled a respect for our environment. My Eagle Scout project was the creation of a nature trail, complete with identification of native trees, behind our local elementary school. For the past two decades, I have been a member of the Wilderness Network of Georgia, a men's outdoors club, and have held office in the past. Being more active in the Sierra Club LaGrange Group for the past four years, I now serve on the Georgia Chapter Executive Committee.

Max H. Brown

I have served my Metro Atlanta Group as Outings Leader for two years; I serve on the Wildlands Committee, as well as volunteering to table events such as the Banff Film Festival and the Hemlock Festival. I support our Sierra Club frequently at rallies and protests. I also work part-time at REI and volunteer for the Atlanta Audubon Society. These activities allow me the opportunity to promote my love of nature and to defend our public lands. Being a part of Sierra Club is the very best way to explore, enjoy, and protect the planet.

Nina Dutton

In early 2014, along with Marinangeles Gutierrez, I answered a call from Georgia Sierra Club to host a rally against the Keystone XL pipeline. I then began to take part in clean energy campaigns and assist with events.

Since joining Metro Atlanta Group's executive committee in 2015, I became chair and was elected to another term in 2017. As chair, I maintain group communications and collaborate on planning meetings. Over the past 4 years, I have made an effort to connect the Sierra Club community with ways to make a difference by plugging into Chapter campaigns and the work of local aligned organizations.

Two years ago in my candidate statement, I wrote of the urgency of the environmental issues we face. But after two more years of intense storms and slow disasters alike, I feel the urgency more strongly now. (Many of us do.) In a new term, I plan to build collaborations more intentionally with aligned groups, as well as to work smarter to help people in our area become effective environmental activists.

Norman Slawsky

I currently serve as the MAG delegate to the GA Chapter Excom and as the Chapter fundraising chair, a member of the Chapter HR committee, and a member of the Chapter political committee. I have previously served as the Chapter vice-chair and chair of the Chapter political committee. In addition, I was the Board Chair of GreenLaw, a nonprofit environmental law firm. I retired after 35 years as a labor lawyer. I am also a volunteer with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Citizenship Clinics, and the Senior University of Greater Atlanta. The Sierra Club is the only national environmental organization with a combination of volunteers and staff which has effectively pursued an agenda to ameliorate climate change while working to deal with environmental justice issues. This struggle continues and I want to continue to be part of it.