Sierra Club Georgia Chapter 2020 Elections

Gustavo Arce

At the age of 14 my father, who works in construction, would take me to work with him every Saturday and school vacation I had. At every construction site there would be a large container with 2 tons worth of building trash and scraps. Very early on I saw this issue and in college I decided to learn about how businesses can be built for sustainability to benefit society and the planet. By joining my college’s environmental club, becoming a Solarize Atlanta volunteer through the Sierra Club, serving as a sustainability ambassador for the city of Atlanta and now by helping start a woman of color owned solar energy company in downtown Atlanta, I have gained a wide range of experience in sustainability and environmental protection early on. I decided to use my experience to join the fight to protect our planet. Serving the Sierra Club’s executive committee would be an opportunity for me to contribute to the organization and help reach out to a generation of young advocates. I have a diverse perspective on how environmental issues affect communities of color and I would be a leader in the Sierra Club’s efforts to fight back for our planet’s future. I am excited to collaborate with local influencers, businesses, media outlets, and nonprofits to push for a sustainable, equitable Georgia for all.

Michael Bovingdon

I wish to more efficiently implement vertical and horizontal integration of our various local groups; keeping in mind our differing initiatives. I will work to prioritize our most feasible initiatives while also not ignoring our ongoing commitment to our local projects, with an emphasis on local lobbying. I will be committed to the preservation and restoration of our existing ecology, as well as of our work raising public awareness of the need to preserve our ecosystem for the foreseeable future. I grew up on a black-water river in South Georgia. It was full of life. Due to negligence, incompetence, and corruption that river is almost dead. I don't want to be asked by my (currently) six year old ward why she can’t enjoy the great wilderness I did when I was her age; if I have to answer that question I don't want to say that I did nothing.

Nancy Daves

I retired from the international office of NOAA’s fisheries service four years ago and moved from Washington, DC, to Atlanta. Volunteering with the Georgia Chapter of the Sierra Club has given me an outlet to act locally in my new home on the values I learned globally in my previous job. My activities in the Georgia Chapter have focused on things I know best: commenting on regulatory requirements for proposed mining near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and conservation efforts for Georgia’s 100 miles of coast. But in addition, I’ve contributed to the Sierra Club’s lobbying efforts at the Georgia legislature and support for candidates for Georgia’s Senate and House of Representatives who pay attention to environmental issues. I look forward to contributing to our efforts in issues of environmental justice and to a more diverse Sierra Club.

Natasha Dyer

Since I was a child, I can remember being concerned with climate change. After spending 12 years in the garment manufacturing industry and watching its stability shift with the housing market crash in 2008, I knew my next career was going to be in climate change mitigation. Now more than ever, I know I have picked the right pathway and realize the importance of choosing and communing with the next leaders to help us win this fight between nature and capitalism, of finding the equilibrium between both. I am the former Co-Chair of Atlanta Recycles, former board member of Sustainable Smyrna and the former Board Vice President with Green Education Inc (Los Angeles). If selected to serve on the Executive Committee with the Sierra Club, it is my goal to do just this, pushing the work forward with like-minded individuals who know the importance of clean air, water, and land for all of the Earth’s people that only a healthy climate can deliver.

Phyllis Richardson

I have thirty plus years of serving in high level government and political positions, beginning in the late 1980’s in South Florida. Upon moving to Georgia and now living in Loganville, I continued my civic engagement as the Senate and Legislative Aide to Georgia State Senators Gloria Butler, and Valencia Seay. In 2014, I was appointed as the First African American Municipal City Clerk for the City of Snellville. As the Governmental Affairs Director at Georgia WAND Education Fund, Inc. I have been able to combine my love of effective government and equitable and fair environmental justice. Standing up against Georgia Power IRP and Fee Hike proposals affecting marginalized communities, working with the Georgia Water Coalition, on their Waterways pollution and Coal Ash legislation, demanding nuclear harm reduction for residents of Burke County, lobbying with Alliance for Nuclear Accountability in DC and fighting for Peace with the National Korean Peace Now Organization. If elected, I hope to continue to use my experience to help guide the Sierra Club towards creating a more equitable and fairer Georgia.

Cassidy Schwartz

Sierra Club Georgia connected me to an incredible community of people fighting for the planet’s future. I am so grateful, and I intend to pay it forward. My time with GASC has shown me that we can be more inclusive and equitable in our operations. If selected for ExCom, I would bring a strong commitment to environmental justice and knowledge of environmental policy. For the past year, I worked to support Atlanta's efforts to achieve the targets in their 100% Clean Energy Plan. I am also a highly engaged environmental advocate and leader in a range of environmental organizations - including, Climate Reality Project, Sunrise, and, of course, GASC — which enabled me to develop expertise in project management, meeting facilitation, and interpersonal communication. Through ExCom, I would engage actively with chapter members to listen to your needs and use my platform to amplify your voices. Together, we will succeed.

Linda Bell

I have been a long time Sierra Club member and became involved with the Centennial Group when we moved here 7 years ago. For several years I have been the Political and Legislative chairs for our group as well as being on the Chapter Political and Legislative committees. I am proud of the work that our local Political Committee has done; we have helped to elect several state house and senate members who have strongly advocated for our environmental issues. I have been actively involved with increasing greenspace for Cobb County and working on expanding transit options. I have been on the Centennial executive committee for several years and would be pleased to continue.

Edouard Kamdem

I was born on a farm in Cameroon in Central Africa. As a child, I enjoyed various outdoor activities as a way of life (river swimming, hiking, mud sliding, hunting small game, etc.). Later, as a Boy Scout, I became fully aware of the need to respect and protect Mother Nature. After high school graduation in Cameroon, I left home to further my education, first in Paris and later in Montreal for graduate studies. I came to the United States and the Atlanta area in 2000, and formerly was an Assistant Professor of French and Education at Kennesaw State University. Thanks to a friend, I became a Centennial Sierra Club member in 2010, and have tried to make my little contribution to the protection of the environment (the only one that we have). I've participated in and helped with local cleanups; Juneteenth celebrations; East Cobber parades; monthly meetings; and I especially enjoy hikes. I believe I can take on more responsibility. I would appreciate the opportunity to serve on the Centennial Group executive committee.

Deidre Meiggs

When I was an undergrad in college, I changed my major four times. The last switch was to the environmental sciences. When I told my mother, who was incredibly grateful for scholarship funding by that point, she unexpectedly laughed. Apparently, she had made a wager with my grandmother when I was younger that I would end up as an environmental advocate. A few years and many pieces of paper later, I possess postgraduate degrees in Earth and Atmospheric Science and Inorganic Chemistry from Georgia Tech. At present, my advocacy partially manifests in my employment as a passionate educator and Associate Professor of Natural Science at Life University in Marietta, where I teach courses in environmental ethics, food industry sustainability, and environmental science. I have also been an active Sierra Club member since 2015 and am a member of the Climate Reality Project. I was honored in December 2019 to be the recipient of an Outstanding Service award for the Centennial group in appreciation of my diligent efforts to facilitate the group’s meetings on the Life U campus. I am thankful to the members of the group for allowing me to expand my environmental stewardship efforts as a candidate seeking an appointment to the Centennial Group executive committee.

Jorge Granados

My name is Jorge Granados. I am a young professional that manages 2 small businesses (Bruster’s Real Ice Cream) in Gwinnett County and been very politically involved for the past 4 years. I want to join the Gwinnett Sierra Club Executive Committee because I want to learn and be more involved in fighting for environmental issues in Gwinnett and throughout Georgia. As an Executive Committee member, I would like to accomplish by setting an example for other young professionals to be more involved and become more environmentally friendly in their daily lives.

Sharon Yun

Hello, my name is Sharon Yun. I have been a member of Sierra Club for many years. ... I have been honored to serve on the Executive Committee for a portion of this year and have decided to run for the 2021 Executive Committee. Things I would like to help with going forward are: finding presenters for our monthly meetings, assisting with our communications and social media, creating group outings, assisting with the work of bringing the organization into right relations with the BIPOC community, attending Public Commissioners meetings to comment on behalf of our Sierra Club chapter, becoming more involved with Sierra Club committees, and in general putting my passion for sustainability into action by supporting our chapter. Currently I am employed at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Gwinnett as the Office Administrator where I support the mission there of creating beloved community by including everyone in the Circle of Love. I am also doing a temporary gig working for the Census for my third time in a row because it is important to me that everyone is counted.

Mary Lou Dabbs

I’ve been a Sierra Club member since 2002, and have been active in outings and events like West Point Lake clean-up work days. I worked with local community members to encourage and facilitate the beginning of curbside recycling in the city of LaGrange. I currently serve as LaGrange Group Co-Chair, and LaGrange Group Delegate to the Chapter ExCom. My special interests are gardening, environmental sustainability, and everything outdoors. Previous volunteer experience includes 20+ years with Literacy Volunteers of America, and various roles at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church.

Collie Graddick

Collie Graddick is a Consultant with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) a Partner in the Community Table Association of Cooperatives (CTAC) and a lifetime member of the West Georgia Farmer’s Cooperative (WGFC) and the Federation of Southern Cooperatives (FSC). Collie has been with the MDA for 28 years, working in the Seed, Noxious Weed, Fertilizer, Endangered Species and Pesticide Regulatory programs. He has been a partner and trainer at CTAC for 11 years, assisting immigrant, minority and small farmers with working together on developing Local Community Cooperative Food Systems throughout MN. Collie grew up on a 200-acre sustainable farm in Hamilton, Georgia producing fruits, vegetables and livestock. He received his B.S. degree in Agronomy from Fort Valley State University, GA and his M.S. degree in Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Production from Tuskegee University, Alabama.

Brian Hunter

I grew up on a goat farm in rural Indiana near Lake Michigan, where people worship the sun for the 6 days of the year it's visible, battle chilly winters, and depend on their knowledge of the natural world to grow corn. I've been traveling all over ever since, and am still trying to recreate a warmer and sunnier rendition of my youth. When I moved to LaGrange alone from Mexico in 2018, I joined Sierra Club to find active hiking and biking buddies with a hankering for the outdoors. There were at least 6, all of whom are now my friends. Lucky me! Now I've got this chance to be around them more, and set up some post-COVID outings, and I'm excited to see what's going to happen next.

Justin Brightharp

I am Justin Brightharp and I am running to be on the Executive Committee for the Sierra Club Metro Atlanta Group. Since graduating from college, my work has been in the clean transportation space, specifically on projects related to zero-emission vehicles. My experience with the Sierra Club has been through my work at the City of Atlanta, where I worked on electric vehicle projects and policy, and educating the City of Atlanta through Neighborhood Planning Units and workshops of the 100 percent clean energy goal in 2017. I believe that the Sierra Club Metro Atlanta Group has opportunities to be a space for sustainability and how it interacts with technology, especially as the metro area continues to grow. As technology continues to progress rapidly, I believe the group can serve as a facilitator to discuss ideas where technology enhances the message of the environment, equity and justice, and the natural space is celebrated and protected.

Eddie Ehlert

I have been a member of the Club since the early 1990s and have been the Political Chair since 2009. I have been a member of the Metro Atlanta Group ExCom and Chapter ExCom at various points since 2010 as well. Since January 2017, I have been a member of the National Sierra Club Political Team and am liaison to most of the states in the Southeast. My day job is owning and operating auto repair shops (MazdOnly and ToyOnly) so my understanding of the crucial importance for reduction of emissions and appropriate protection of stormwater runoff is an intrinsic part of my daily life. Zero-emission vehicles, ultra low-emission vehicles and low-emission vehicles are entirely necessary if we intend to continue a pattern of individual transportation. Over the last six years, I have been deeply involved in bringing a 32-acre tract of forest into permanent conservation and public control in Brookhaven for public passive recreation. I’m also a paddler, boater, and am involved in protection of the waters in Lake Lanier as well as everything downstream. Protecting the environment we all share is a goal I believe in, work for and live out.

Matthew Evans

I have been a member of the Sierra Club for almost four years. I decided to join because I wanted to turn my individual environmental values into collective action. Environmental justice, and “green” affordable transportation are the two aspects of the environmental movement that I am most interested in. Serving on the Executive Committee as Treasurer, I would raise funds for the Sierra Club, as well as help expand the reach of the Club’s environmental goals. I have been an active member so far by showing up to every Atlanta group meeting and attending several events, such as the People’s Climate March in Washington, D.C. I have also updated the Atlanta group webpage to bring members' attention to upcoming events and trainings. My previous experiences include being Secretary and Treasurer for other organizations, such as Circle K, at my alma mater. I look forward to serving the Sierra Club and the local community further as Treasurer of the Metro Atlanta Group.