Contact: Adam Bingman, adam.bingman@sierraclub.org
OAKLAND, CA- The Sierra Club is proud to announce that it has welcomed four new department leaders to its ranks. The new leaders offer insight and experience from impressive organizing and environmental backgrounds
Sierra Club’s newest senior leadership includes: Christine Hill, Senior Director of Our Wild America; Karissa Gerhke, Acting Deputy National Program Director; Gabe Gonzalez, Acting Chief of Staff for the Program Department and; Brittany Harris, Senior Manager of Strategic Implementation.
To commemorate the moment, Sierra Club President Ramón Cruz released the following statement:
“We are honored to have these historic leaders guiding our organization as we work to become an institution that is firmly grounded in justice and equity. I am confident that their deep organizing and campaign backgrounds will help our organization strive toward its goals of tackling the interconnected threats facing the environment, our people, and our democracy.”
About the New Leadership:
Christine Hill (she/her):
Christine “Chris” Hill is Sierra Club’s Senior Director of Our Wild America leading the outdoors and lands, water and wildlife work of the Sierra Club - the first Black woman to lead Sierra Club’s legacy campaign in its 129 year history. With a background in law, community organizing and partnerships, Chris is an inspiring leader with more than a decade of experience advocating to protect communities and the natural world.
Chris takes on this role at a critical time for our work to protect our lands, waters and climate. Her desire for a just, equitable and sustainable future, one in which all people benefit from clean air, clean water, and equitable access to the outdoors is what keeps her fighting everyday. To learn more about Chris, see this 'Where I Belong' video.
Karissa Gerhke (she/her):
Karissa Gerhke will be Acting Deputy National Program Director through 2021. In this role Karissa will use her Organizational Development background and expertise to help create the structure and systems for the Program Department. Karissa brings over a decade of organizing and leadership development experience, including as the former Director of the Sierra Student Coalition.
Gabe Gonzalez (he/him):
Gabe Gonzalez will be Acting Chief of Staff for the Program Department through 2021. In this role Gabe will continue to develop staff and direct program department strategy. Over the last couple of years, Gabe has played a number of key leadership roles at Sierra Club - from Ready for 100 to Acting Deputy Campaigns Director. Gabe also brings a decade of experience as National Campaign Director at Center for Community of Change.
Brittany Harris (she/they):
Brittany “Britt” Harris is Sierra Club’s newest Senior Manager of Strategic Implementation for the Program Department. In this role, Britt will lead our organization-wide Equity Learning Strategy design process, with key emphasis on centering most impacted communities, chapters, and volunteers. She will also lead the development and rollout of the participatory process for the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) Equity Enhancement Fund, which promotes a structure for sustained support and financial investment into Sierra Club’s BIPOC community.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.