Chapter Winners 2025

Statement of Glen Murray

I have been a member of Sierra Club since 1984. I have previously served on the Nebraska Chapter Executive Committee for about 20 years in a number of roles including a couple of terms as Chapter Chair. I have been the Chapter Political Committee’s Compliance Officer since 2005. I have served on the Bluestem Executive Committee as Group Chair for the last two years.

I recently retired as an attorney and have time to invest in the Sierra Club. I intend to continue supporting the work of our Political Committee to elect strong environmental candidates and to continue supporting our advocacy at the Nebraska Legislature for pro-environment laws. One of the things that has appealed to me about Sierra Club is the Outings program and getting out to enjoy Nebraska’s scenic beauty and the fauna and flora waiting to be discovered. I intend to work on developing a strong chapter outings program.

Statement of Brittany Cooper

My name is Brittany Cooper I am the Executive Director of Nebraskans for Peace (NFP), where I lead statewide efforts to advance peace, justice, and environmental stewardship through advocacy, education, and community organizing.  Under my leadership NFP has continued its long and successful history of working directly with the Nebraska Sierra Club.

I have served on the Nebraska Sierra Club Executive Committee for more than 10 years in multiple capacities. I am currently the Vice Chair of the Chapter, having previously served as Chair and held active roles on the Political Action and Legislative Committees. I also represent the Chapter as our Delegate to the National Sierra Club’s Council of Club Leaders. I have been actively engaged with the Bluestem Group for more than 8 years and currently serve as both Secretary and Treasurer of the Group. I was one of the Chapter leaders that hired Al Davis as our lobbyist and helped spearhead the effort in hiring our first ever Nebraska Chapter Director.

If elected, I will continue my active leadership within the Chapter and remain committed to meeting our goals while strengthening our advocacy efforts through partnerships, engagement, and growth of the Nebraska Sierra Club.

Statement of Evalina Sain

My name is Evalina Sain, and I am currently a student at Columbia University studying Sustainable Development and Political Science. I graduated from Omaha Central High School in 2025 as Valedictorian and Student of the Year. At Columbia, I am involved with the Columbia Policy Institute’s Environment and Energy Committee, serve as a Professional Development Committee Member for the Student Union of Sustainable Development, and represent the Climate Challenges Committee within the Council of Foreign Affairs.

I serve as the Executive Director of Students for Sustainability, coordinating weekly meetings to launch youth lobbying and testimony initiatives for state and city legislation. I led the youth component of the statewide Green Amendment Initiative this past year and have spearheaded environmental justice campaigns in Omaha, collaborating with the Public Power District, and testifying before the City Council to decommission a North Omaha power plant and revoke the license of a hazardous South Omaha car shredder. For the past two years, I have coordinated sponsorships for attendees at the Citizens’ Lobby D.C. Conference, where I have also led multiple meetings with U.S. Senators. I host bimonthly events averaging over 200 attendees and have partnered with more than 20 organizations. In collaboration with the Nebraska Sierra Club Chapter, I authored the proposal that secured our organization the 2025 Sierra Club Grassroots Grant ($12,000). In 2024, our organization received the Nebraska Sierra Club’s Annual Environmental Achievement Award and has since earned national media recognition twice for its leadership and impact.

Additionally, I intern with Conservation Nebraska, where I research bills, policies, and candidates while supporting campaigns through canvassing and outreach efforts. I have helped plan sustainability summits and advocacy events, coauthored the Omaha Public Schools Environmental Stewardship Plan and the Omaha City Climate Action Plan, and founded the Central Green Team—an effort that catalyzed an interconnected environmental youth network across the district. As president of the Green Team, I worked closely with the district to reform waste management infrastructure in two schools, drafting multiple appeals to the Board.

My research experience includes working under Dr. Fassbinder Orth in the Creighton University Department of Biology and conducting independent research on air pollution in North Omaha through a partnership I established with Ormatime Lab in Florida.

Reason for running:
As a college student, I am surrounded by individuals who panic when asked about their major—many sprinting to secure a generic office internship, hoping it will guide them into a career. For me, my path has always been transparent. It has been since my freshman year of high school, when I first attended a protest against the Keystone XL pipeline hosted by the Sierra Club. That impassioned moment, surrounded by a community that was unknowingly becoming my home, planted the seed for the path I have followed and plan to dedicate my life to: environmental advocacy, justice, and the collective betterment of our future.

As a young adult, I have the greatest stake in the climate fight. To me, it’s more than a battle for equity and recognition—it’s one of survival and necessity. As a statewide Executive Committee Member, I would channel this passion into action and offer an indispensable perspective to policy development, amplifying youth voices and elevating the experiences of young people too often marginalized in the political climate movement.

My ties to my home state of Nebraska run deep, and as I’ve become increasingly involved in climate initiatives over the years, my passion for creating impact has only grown. I want to continue shaping change in my state, for now and for the future.