Vote now for your N.C. Chapter and local Group executive committee members!
~Statements from candidates for the N.C. Chapter may be found below these instructions.~
This year, N.C. Sierra Club members can access your ballots at Sierra Club's MyAccount portal. If you haven't logged on already, you'll need to create an account, then navigate to the Elections Portal from the main page.
Most N.C. Sierra Club members will have two ballots: one for the statewide Chapter Executive Committee, and another for your local Group elections. Each ballot includes a link to the relevant candidate statements, for you to review before voting. Note: No local elections will be held this year for the Central Piedmont Committee, the Capital Group, or the Medoc Group.
For your votes to be counted:
- You must be a Sierra Club member in good standing as of Dec. 1, 2025.
- All votes must be entered online or postmarked by midnight Dec. 31, 2025.
You may request a paper ballot by emailing us at nc.chapter@sierraclub.org by Friday, Dec. 19. Please provide your full name, and your local Group name or your zip code so we can send you the right ballot. Your paper ballot must include your eight-digit membership number, which is provided at the My Account portal.
If you have questions or problems voting, send an email to nc.chapter@sierraclub.org. Remember that our offices will be closed for the holidays and responses during that period will be delayed.
Results will be reported publicly in January 2026.
Statements from candidates for the N.C. Chapter Executive Committee:
The N.C. Chapter has EIGHT candidates for FOUR openings. You may vote for only four of these candidates. All openings are for full two-year terms.
Drew Ball – WNC Group (incumbent)
Serving on the Chapter Executive Committee has allowed me to advance Sierra Club's efforts to fight the climate crisis and help ensure a just and healthy state for all North Carolinians. I've leveraged my background as an organizer to support efforts to promote clean energy and protect our precious oceans and landscapes. Over the past year, I've been focused on helping western North Carolina build back from Helene with resiliency at top of mind. During the day, I'm a county commissioner in Buncombe County and work for the Natural Resources Defense Council. My background is in grassroots organizing, environmental advocacy, fundraising and electoral politics. As an active WNC Group volunteer, former Director of Environment North Carolina, and former Chapter and national Sierra Club staff member, I apply my knowledge of Sierra Club's structure and history, as well as our state's political dynamics, and broader environmental movement to build a stronger state chapter.
Steven Hix – Central Piedmont Committee
I'm a passionate advocate for environmental protection and a firm believer in the unique ability of strong, well organized grassroots organizations to make a difference on environmental issues. After two memorable years as a political organizer and legislative aide (followed by a few forgettable years as a corporate recruiter), I went to law school and became a litigator in Charlotte. I'm here because I want to help make the Sierra Club the most impactful organization possible because, at a time when people and governments must start taking serious environmental action to avoid the most existential outcomes we could face, the Sierra Club is uniquely well positioned to get results. No other organization has the breadth of experience, infrastructure, membership, and expertise to act on issues from renewable energy rebates and transit infrastructure to national forest protection and offshore drilling. I appreciate the opportunity to be considered for the Chapter's Executive Committee.
Dave Keesee – Orange-Chatham Group (incumbent)
I have lived in the N.C. Research Triangle region for 36 years and been a Sierra Club member for 26 years. I am retired after a 36-year career in accounting and overseeing finance systems and processes. My hobbies include hiking, camping, paddling and gardening with native plants. A life-long conservationist, I am passionate about renewable energy and built an active / passive solar home in Chatham County. Working to protect our water resources and sustainable energy are key issues for me. I have served as a member of the Orange-Chatham Group Excom and as Group treasurer, and have worked on the Group's political committee on municipal and county candidate endorsements. I took on the role of Chapter treasurer in October 2024, then was appointed to fill the remaining term of a vacant N.C. Chapter Excom seat. Over the past year, I have worked with the Chapter team on improving the financial records and processes of the Chapter and am currently working with the Sierra Club Chapter Finance team in transitioning the North Carolina Chapter to the Club’s new financial system and processes. I am running for a full term to complete the financial transition work for the Chapter and to progress Chapter priorities in the fight against climate change and protecting public lands.
Ed Maggart – WNC Group
After doing environmental research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, I taught science for 26 years at an Asheville high school and ran the student environmental club. The club worked with N.C. Agricultural Extension to design, build, and utilize a forced-air composting system for dining hall waste; started a recycling program; and, through NC State Forest Service, developed a certified sustainable forestry plan for the school's 200 acres of forests. We offered community workshops in sustainable forestry utilizing horses to remove logs. The club was involved with the WNC Group. I moved away for work for a few years and, upon returning I again became active in the WNC Group. I served on the Buncombe County Blue Horizons Project Council, charged with helping Buncombe County reach 100% sustainable energy by 2042. Currently I run the Group's active Inspiring Connections Outdoors program and lead adult hikes. I serve as the WNC Group's representative for Asheville Regional Transit Council.
Melissa McCullough – Orange-Chatham Group
I'm an environmental professional, with a 40-year career at the N.C. Division of Coastal Management and the U.S. EPA, doing especially sustainable communities work, from air and water quality origins. I've been active in the Orange-Chatham Group for nearly two decades, and in the N.C. Chapter's Political Committee for about five years. I've enjoyed working at the state level and I have a lot of ideas of things that we need to work on with the General Assembly and N.C. Department of Transportation, for example, that would benefit our environment and our quality of life. I'd like to meld the local and state political and conservation work, and believe I have a lot to offer.
Lindsey Oldt – Capital Group
I am running for the Executive Committee of the N.C. Chapter because I am driven to engage new generations of Sierra Club members in meaningful community-building experiences and political activism to create a more hopeful future. My journey into environmental advocacy began with a few weekend solo hikes on the Appalachian Trail, and I quickly gained an admiration for the trail community that inspired me to seek out further connection and ways to give back. Since then, I have served as an Outings Leader for the Capital Group and assisted in its reorganization. Additionally, I am a member of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s Next Generation Advisory Council and previously led local hikes and organized programming for a Raleigh-area nonprofit that champions women’s participation in outdoor activities. I also was on the grand opening staff team of Triangle Rock Club’s new Salvage Yard location and am passionate about safety and Leave No Trace instruction in rock climbing. I am a recent graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and my educational and career background in technical writing and editing, political and legal correspondence, and community engagement will serve as assets to the Sierra Club in this role.
Katie Tomberlin – Croatan Group (incumbent)
I am a 47-year-old mother of three, with a background in politics. I live in Newport, on the Crystal Coast, and I am a member of the Croatan Group. Coming from the political world, social justice, alongside environmental justice are extremely important parts of the work I do, and the work we do together here. I have been an at-large Chapter Executive Committee member since joining the Club in 2019. I served as Vice Chair in 2022, and as Chapter Chair since 2023. I also represent the Chapter on the Council of Club Leaders (CCL) as the N.C. Delegate. I am extremely proud of the work the Chapter has done in the past few years, and hope to continue on the path we have been on, together. We have done great things here in North Carolina in the past 24 months, and I look forward to the future.
James Taylor – Blue Ridge Group (incumbent)
I've been in park maintenance and leadership for quite some time, from leading groups for trail cleanup to camping on the Appalachian Trail and the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. I completed the Santiago de Compostella in France and Spain back when you didn't have to make reservations!