2023 Election Results
Thank you for voting! The following people have been elected to their positions:
- Chapter Executive Committee: Karen Maki, Shani Kleinhaus, James Coleman, Robin Montoya, Shruti Chandrasekhar
- San Carlos/Belmont Group: Camille King
- Peninsula Group: Nancy Tierney, Robin Montoya, Sue Chow, Dave Olson
- Guadalupe Group: Charles Schafer
2023 Ballot Instructions
Ballots must be at our office by December 15, 2023. Candidate statements below have been edited for length. You have the option of voting electronically or via postcard ballot; choose only one option.
Electronic Voting
Vote Here! If you vote electronically, you cannot vote by the paper ballot.
Paper Voting
Ballots were mailed on a large postcard titled "Loma Prieta Chapter and Group Ballot" in mid November. If you fail to receive your ballot or spoiled it, contact the Chapter office at 650-390-8411. Photocopies or other reproductions will not be accepted.
Each member is entitled to vote once in this election. Two selection columns have been included on the ballot so that both people in a joint membership can vote; for single members, only vote in one column. Please only vote in your applicable group election.
Ballots must be returned to 3921 E. Bayshore Rd., Ste 204, Palo Alto, CA 94303 by December 15th; late ballots will not be counted.
2023 Candidate Statements
Loma Prieta Chapter Executive Committee (ExCom)
There are five (5) open seats. Incumbent candidates are marked with an asterisk (*). Candidate bios are presented in random order
Rani Fischer
If asked what my values are in one word, it would be protect. I feel that I am on this planet to protect all life, from protozoa to pachyderms. This includes humans, who are animals too, and should not have to live without basic needs, such as food and housing. Climate change has long been my primary concern since it threatens all life. Since I moved here twenty years ago, I have advocated with Green Foothills (and graduated from their 8-month leadership program), Peninsula Interfaith Climate Action, 350.org, Silicon Valley Climate Action Now, and the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society. For Sierra Club I have interviewed candidates last summer in Sunnyvale and helped create the Dark Sky Symposium with the Bay Alive Campaign. Ecological health is what we need to thrive physically, spiritually, and with integrity. Vote for me to protect what we have for us and for our children.
Karen Maki
I have enjoyed working with other Sierra Club volunteers to protect the environment since 2001. My activism combines project and meeting management skills I learned working at Intel with facilitation and listening skills I learned acquiring a masters in counseling. As a Sierra Club activist, I have experience as: Chapter Conservation Committee chair, Executive Committee chair, Fundraising Committee chair, and Forest Protection Committee chair. Sierra Club California Conservation Committee Chair, and currently chair two statewide forest committees and am secretary of the Sierra Club California Executive Committee. Probably my most exciting Sierra Club experience was initiating and running the Beat Bush Campaign in 2004. The Sierra Club was launching campaigns in battleground states. Why not Loma Prieta? Many chapter members were eager to do something. So I did. We hosted house parties and chapter events that engaged 250 volunteers and produced more than 30,000 phone calls and 8000 postcards.
James Coleman
I currently serve as City Councilmember for the City of South San Francisco, and as a Director for Peninsula Clean Energy. From a young age, I have always had a passion for environmental conservation and climate change mitigation. Inspired by summer days spent surfing on the coast of Half Moon Bay and autumn hikes on San Bruno mountain, I joined my high school’s earth club and founded the Harvard Undergraduates for Environmental Justice during college. At Harvard, I worked on their Fossil Fuel Divestment Campaign, successfully pushing the university to divest its $40 billion endowment. On the Sierra Club Executive Committee, I hope to grow the Sierra Club’s membership in northern San Mateo County. As I have on city council, I will strive to advocate for building electrification, smart environmentally conscious land use, and protection and expansion of our public green space. I would be honored to earn your vote.
Shani Kleinhaus*
As an incumbent, I ask you to support my candidacy for a second consecutive term on the Chapter’s Executive Committee. I currently lead the Wildlife Committee and collaborate with many other volunteers and local organizations, focusing on wildlife, biodiversity and on the protection and enhancement of habitat in our urban, rural and natural ecosystems. My passion and dedication for protecting nature have resulted in many victories - large and small - for our chapter. Many jurisdictions now have (or are in the process of developing) policies and projects that protect and promote natural parks and open space, creeks and their riparian corridors, the Dark Sky, Bird Safe Design, Pollinator gardens, and Wildlife crossings for mountain lions and newts. I have been successful in securing funding for the Chapter and contributed to responsible Chapter governance. I humbly seek your vote to continue serving on our Chapter’s Executive Committee.
Gary Bailey
As a long time Sierra Club member, I served on the Loma Prieta Chapter Executive Committee for 6 years in the past. I co-founded the chapter's Forest Protection Committee and I started the chapter's climate action campaign. I have led hikes and fund raising trips for the chapter. In addition, I have been involved in the chapter's political endorsement process, participating in and sometimes leading endorsement interviews. I look forward to continuing to help protect the earth and all its inhabitants from the many challenges, including climate change.
Robin Montoya
My experience and activism align well with the goals and mission of the Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club. I am passionate about environmental issues (promoting sustainability, protection of the environment, among others) and believe the Sierra Club is at the forefront of the movement to address these issues. I have many years of experience with the Sierra Club and am currently a member of the Forest Protection Committee, EELA - Education and Environmental Legislative Action and am part of the Environmental Stewardship Program for the second time. As a long time activist, I believe we all can make time to volunteer and act on the issues we care about. I have a lot of experience in issues around voting, social justice and inclusion. All these issues are interrelated, and I can bring my experience in each of these areas to the work of the Executive Committee. As a project manager, I work in education in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) area.
Shruti Chandrasekhar
Hello Fellow Environmental Activists! Like many of you, I joined the Sierra Club in 2017 to find my place in the Climate movement. Over the years, I’ve assisted with Environmental Stewardship Programs, Bay 2030, & Save Coyote Valley. Currently, I work on the San Jose City team, advocating for microgrids & urban tree canopy. Outside of Sierra Club, I work as a product & content marketing consultant. I’m also the Chair for Measure T - Community Oversight Committee in San Jose. I’m passionate about California native plants & enjoy planting them in our public spaces & school gardens. As a mom of two, I find joy in leading hiking clubs & nature workshops for school-age kids. I strongly believe in the Chapter’s Work & want to contribute to the organization that has nurtured the activist in me. If given an opportunity, I want to promote the Chapter’s work, bringing in new members from all ages & backgrounds, and thereby increasing our local footprint across all cities.
San Carlos/Belmont Regional Group
Members with Group code 0203 vote here. There are three (3) open seats. Incumbent candidates are marked with an asterisk (*)
Camille King *
No candidate statement or photo was provided.
Peninsula Regional Group
Members with Group code 0204 vote here. There are four (4) open seats. Incumbent candidates are marked with an asterisk (*).
Sue Chow *
Greetings, my fellow Sierra Club Members. During my 10 plus years as a chapter activist, I have focused on creating meaningful opportunities for member engagement. I founded the Environment Stewardship Program (ESP) in 2014, a program that organized educational events, socials, and hands-on opportunities to participate in conservation advocacy and climate action. I also founded the chapter’s Education and Environmental Legislative Action committee (EELA), which has provided opportunities for members to work on important state and local environmental legislation. Finally, as a teacher, I have been working with youth my entire life, and I am still at it—except now I have the privilege of working with young people on meaningful environmental actions.
My work in the Chapter has been an exhilarating ride, and I invite you to join us in creating a vibrant environmental community where we can have fun while we engage in activities to save our planet
Nancy Tierney *
While a long-time member of the Sierra Club, I got active in the chapter less than a decade ago largely through the Environmental Stewardship Program and the Environmental Legislation Committee. In recent years I have become a regular participant in the Climate Action Leadership Team and the Sustainable Land Use committee, the latter including a task force on the increased development of life sciences projects in the Bay Area. About a year ago, I started a new issues committee as part of the Conservation Committee—Pacifica Hillsides and Coastal Protection. Having spent my career in higher education planning, I find that the skills I gained in that setting apply aptly to the work with the Chapter as well as to Sierra Club Ca. I’d like to bring that experience to ExCom.
Dave Olson *
Dave has been a Sierra Club member since the 1990s when he joined numerous outings. In recent years, he has been active in the chapter's Political Committee making endorsements of candidates for local offices. He has also made presentations about Water Issues in California and been active in opposing Cargill's development proposals in Redwood City.
Robin Montoya
See ExCom candidate profile above.
Guadalupe Regional Group
Members with Group code 0205 vote here. There are three (3) open seats. Incumbent candidates are marked with an asterisk (*)
Charles Schafer
Charles Schafer works as a financial executive in a corporate environment, serving as Controller and Chief Financial Officer of several companies after getting an MBA degree from Stanford University. He is also an avid photographer whose primary focus is back-country landscapes. He has been a member of the Sierra Club for roughly 30 years, and for most of that time, has been extremely active in the Peak Climbing Section (having climbed over 200 mountains). His environmental outlook is a result of his love for the back-country and its beauty. Charles has served on the Chapter ExCom for ten years, serving as Chapter Chair for five of them, and has been on the Group ExCom for five years. He also currently serves as the Chapter Fundraising Chair. A lot of his focus has been on building better communications within the chapter, and on promoting member engagement and development