2026 Santa Lucia Chapter Executive Committee Voting Instructions
All Sierra Club Santa Lucia Chapter Members, as of November 6, are eligible to vote for the Chapter Executive Committee (ExCom). This year there are four candidates for three positions. Voting closes at midnight on Tuesday, December 8.
To vote, you will need your 6 to 8-digit Member ID number. It is on the address label of the printed mini-newsletter you should have received in the mail, or on the label of your Sierra magazine. If you need help finding your Member ID, contact the Sierra Club membership office at member.care@sierraclub.org or 415-977-5653.
How to vote online (the preferred method)
You will need to access your Sierra Club MyAccount. If you haven’t set up MyAccount, go to myaccount.sierraclub.org. Once you set up MyAccount or if you already have MyAccount vote at sc.org/VoterPortal and log in to MyAccount from this page.
To vote by mail:
Use the ballot that was mailed to you in the mini-Santa Lucian and follow the instructions there.
If both mailed and online ballots are received with the same Member ID, only the online ballot will be counted.
The candidate photos and bios follow - they are presented in alphabetical order by last name.
Kala Babu
I am a lawyer, educator, and environmental advocate. I currently work remotely for the LA County Superior Court, where I draft rulings for Judge Elihu Berle in the complex department for mass tort silicosis cases. I also teach Federal Environmental Law at Cal Poly with the hope of molding the next generation of environmental change-makers.
I am lucky to call Arroyo Grande my home, to be a bike ride away from the ocean, and a short drive away from the mountains. I am fortunate to spend my Saturday mornings paddle boarding in Avila and my Sunday mornings hiking Point Sal. This place has given so much to me without asking for anything in return. As a Conservation Committee member, I’ve learned how much impact our chapter can have with respect to local and statewide issues. This is a chance to add my skills to ExCom to continue to serve as a steward of the environment.
I’ve been in nonprofit spaces for longer than I can remember, volunteering, fundraising, and event planning. My experience as a water justice lawyer in the Central Valley taught me how to merge those skills with legal advocacy and community building. So here’s what I can offer: the passion and commitment to protect our wild places; experience in community organizing and coalition building; knowledge of environmental policy and law; and the ability to break down complex environmental issues for public education.
Carole Mintzer
I am an active and committed volunteer with the Santa Lucia Chapter. I currently chair the Climate and Clean Energy Committee and the Communications Team. I edit the Santa Lucian, create emails using Marketing Cloud, and keep the Chapter webpage up-to-date. From August 2020 through December 2023, I was the Chair of the Santa Lucia Chapter Executive Committee.
I began volunteering with the Sierra Club in 1998 after I moved to Orange County. While there, I chaired the Orange County Political Committee (two years), the Orange County Conservation Committee (two years), and the Angeles Chapter Executive Committee (three years).
I retired in 2019 after 11 years of consulting with nonprofit organizations on needs assessments and program evaluations. Before that, I was the Evaluation Manager for First 5 Orange County.
I enjoy reading, sewing, knitting, counted cross-stitching, walking, aqua aerobics, and traveling (not all at once!). I also volunteer with Mended Hearts and sing alto with Canzona, our local women’s chorus.
To make progress on our environmental work in SLO County, we need strong leadership that supports our staff and volunteers. I bring extensive experience with Sierra Club and look forward to nurturing the next generation of volunteers and activists to protect the environment we hold dear.
Madeline Schechter
I fell in love with nature from an early age. This made me a bit of an annoying friend growing up - telling my friends not to litter, encouraging them to walk home from school with me, and to put food waste in the compost. My inspiration came from my Uncle Steve. He cared immensely for the planet and worked tirelessly to get others to care. He even had the nickname ‘The Lorax’ from his local community, and I knew I wanted to be like him.
This led me to major in Environmental Management & Protection at Cal Poly. After joining the club Sprout Up, I realized I wanted to help youth build a relationship with the natural world and learn ways to protect it, just like my uncle did for me. I ended up interning with organizations that were giving outdoor experiences to children, such as Learning Among the Oaks and the Guadalupe Dunes Center. This led me to my career in environmental education, working for One Cool Earth as a garden educator. We build and maintain gardens as living laboratories on public school campuses to teach environmental science.
Due to the current administration, I decided to volunteer with Sierra Club because of their influence in politics and ability to endorse candidates committed to protecting people and the planet. Since joining the chapter, I have learned from our seasoned chapter leaders, boothed at events, helped plan Earth Action Hours, and trained to become an outings leader. I have served on the Executive Committee for the past year, filling in for a member who moved. I would be honored to serve again on the Executive Committee to continue adding my perspective as an environmental educator.
Nia Starr
I spent 15 years in New York City before relocating to San Luis Obispo, where I bring passion for environmental stewardship and climate action to the Central Coast. I hold a Master of Science in Sustainable Environmental Systems from Pratt Institute’s Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment and am a LEED Green Associate and GHG Protocol Scope 3 Standard certified. I work at the Environmental Center of San Luis Obispo (ECOSLO), overseeing SLO County's Green Business Program.
Before transitioning into sustainability, I spent nearly a decade as a visual designer, an experience that continues to shape how I use storytelling and communication to connect people with complex environmental issues. During my time in New York, I became interested in environmental advocacy and am excited to continue that work on the Central Coast through involvement with the Sierra Club. Outside of work, I enjoy traveling, all things design, and exploring local trails with my husband and daughter.