Reflections on challenges, gains in NC Chapter director's first year
By Chris Herndon, Chapter Director
Today marks one year since I started work as the NC Sierra Club's Chapter director. In some ways, it still feels very new. In other ways, I feel like we’ve been in this work together forever.
More than anything, I remain grateful for this opportunity to lead this team and to support our members and volunteer leaders. I truly believe we are doing work that is critical at this pivotal moment in time.
We've faced some significant challenges over the past year. Climate change has manifested itself with a vengeance across our state, most recently with devastating floods in the Piedmont and Sandhills. Last fall, just two days after our WNC Group hosted the year's most successful PAC fundraising event in Asheville, Hurricane Helene ripped across the region, causing unimaginable, still-lingering damage and loss of life.
As awful as the situation was and remains, it cast a bright light on the resiliency of Sierrans and their neighbors, and our care for each other. In Raleigh, we pleaded with the N.C. General Assembly for an appropriate response, and in the mountains we fought against salvage logging. As recovery continues, we're sponsoring the Resilience Fest in Black Mountain, and the AMPlify Appalachia concert near Asheville, both at the end of this month.
Similar highs rose above the lows in the 2024 election, which has had a devastating outcome for our nation and planet. In North Carolina, however, 90 of our 123 endorsed candidates and ballot issues were successful, helping to break the GOP supermajority in the General Assembly and launching an ally into the governor's office – wins that give us optimism for our ongoing legislative advocacy.
Within the Chapter's structure, we carefully studied our resources and priorities, drawing up a road map that aligns the focus of our volunteer leaders, staff, and partners on environmental and capacity-building priorities. Much of our collective success in 2025 can be directly tied to that strategy, which led to growth in our organizing and fundraising teams (stay tuned for another staff addition!), collaboration with national Club staff on key campaigns, and revival of key committees focused on outings, conservation and member engagement.
This foundational work is helping us plan for bigger conservation projects, including a drive to restore regulatory protection to wetlands across North Carolina; the revival of volunteer-led Groups in the state's two biggest population centers; and renewed public-facing activities including a legislative lobby day, a news conference with Rep. Maria Cervania, and the first of a planned series of Chapter webinars on our top issues.
Our dedicated volunteer leaders and top-notch staff worked passionately for every inch we gained over the past year, and they show no signs of slowing. The way they, and Sierrans like you, rise to meet the moment each day inspires me and gives me confidence that, together, we'll fully meet the challenges ahead of us.
Thank you all for traveling this road with us, and I'm glad to have your company on the journey ahead.