Here are the candidate statements for the 2023 Sierra Club White River Group Executive Committee election. Those chosen will serve a two year term, during the years 2023 and 2024.
Louise Wienckowski
I have hiked in the Ozarks for many years and am especially fond of Missouri native plants and grasses. I grow many varieties in my backyard and community garden. I believe that we all need to be sensitive to the fragility of the planet earth and its’ diverse ecosystems, recognizing that the living planet needs our attention and stewardship. I give some of my time to the Sierra Club because this organization works on protecting our natural resources with passion and intelligence.
Cathy Primm
Cathy is a lifetime member of the Sierra Club who is dedicated to making the world a better place and to working as necessary toward the mitigation of climate change. She is currently on the board of the Great Rivers Environmental Law Center and Sculpture Walk Springfield as well as committeewoman for her precinct and an active participant in Moms Demand Action and the Ozark Society in Springfield. She is also a regular volunteer with her church at the Crosslines food pantry. She and her husband Alex lived off the grid in Shannon County for 7 years and now reside in the City of Springfield.
Don Underwood
I am a recent member with the White River Group chapter of the Sierra Club in Missouri. My concerns over climate change and environmental issues have motivated me into activism. I have chosen the Sierra Club as my tool for dealing with the nuts and bolts of these important issues. I hope you will support my participation as a member of the White River Group executive committee. My wife Marla and I live in Republic and have had three children and now three grandsons. I graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism in 1972. I began work in the newsroom of Springfield Newspapers, Inc. that same year. I worked at the daily newspaper for 40 years before leaving in 2012 and then retiring. I held a number of positions including copy editor/business reporter, Sunday editor, a managing editor, and my final position as Opinion page editor. I am a member of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Springfield and its Social Action Circle. I have been active with Ozarks Food Harvest, the local American Red Cross chapter, and the Boy Scouts of America.