Chickasaw Group Executive Committee Candidates 2020

Mondell Williams

Mondell Williams has been involved in local environmental justice issues for over 25 years, including fighting against a hazardous waste blending & recycling plant in South Memphis and addressing groundwater contamination issues in the Mallory area. He served as Co-Chair of the Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) for the Memphis Defense Depot, monitoring environmental cleanup and reuse activities. He has also been involved in civic affairs for years, running for City Council, and later for Shelby County Clerk in 2018. Mondell was involved in the fight to "Save MLK Park" when the former Mapco oil refinery wanted to lease parts of the park and privatize it. Mondell has worked with Sierra Club Chickasaw Group since the 1990's, and the Sierra Club EJ Program office from 1999 to 2017 which included serving on the EJ Leadership Team. He served on the Chickasaw ExCom in 2007 and served on the Political Committee. Mondell attended two Good Jobs Green Jobs conferences in Washington, DC, and has never missed the annual Memphis EJ Conference. He was awarded the "Long Haul EJ Award" at the 2010 EJ Conference

Charlie Belenky

Charlie Belenky is a retired attorney. He has run for local office and attends City Council meetings and Chapter retreats. Charlie says he is against nuclear and fossil fuels and considers himself pro-solar and wind. He supports efforts for a bottle bill and a carbon tax. In addition, he wants to preserve wild lands and improve water quality. Charlie believes conserving energy is the best way. Before moving to Tennessee, he was active in the Abalone Alliance in California and was arrested at Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant in 1977. In 1978-1979 he was an intern in the Water Division in Region IX of the EPA. Charlie has done environmental litigation and compliance work when employed by the State of California.

Shelica Cox

Shelica Cox is a native Memphian, a business owner, mother of three beautiful children, and a parent ambassador for Shelby County Schools. She is well connected and grounded in the Shelby County area and serves as the Chair of Outreach for the Democratic Women of Shelby County, and the Co-Chair of the Legislative Democratic Women of Tennessee. She also serves as an Ambassador for the Memphis Police Department. She says her passion for the environment is great, and believes we should live in a safe, healthy environment.

Marquita Bradshaw

Marquita Bradshaw is a lifelong Memphian who has extensive experience in the environmental justice movement and who advocates for human rights causes. She is an alumna of the University of Memphis and is committed to lifelong learning. Her environmental activism began as a teenager working alongside her mother and father in the community group they started in South Memphis. She began writing press releases and planning direct actions with Defense Depot Memphis, Tennessee - Concerned Citizens Committee (DDMT-CCC) to educate and fight for her childhood community seeking justice for contamination from a Superfund site, the Memphis Defense Depot chemical and biological warfare military landfill. Marquita continues to serve as a volunteer project director for DDMT-CCC. In 1999 she was one of eleven founding members of the group, Youth Terminating Pollution. She has further served her community by working with several other community organizations and support teams in her role as an EJ advocate and activist. Most recently, she is a candidate for the US Senate race for Tennessee. She has worked with union organizations and other groups focused on health disparities and stopping toxic pollution.

Mia Madison

Mia Madison is the Executive Director of Memphis Tilth. She has served as an activist and community organizer throughout the Mid-South region and volunteers for a host of programs and projects focused on bridging the gap between people and the environment. Her passions are urban agriculture, environmental justice, youth advocacy, equitable access, and minority participation and engagement in urban affairs. Mia holds a master's degree in Anthropology and a bachelor's degree in Geography from the University of Memphis with concentrations in applied participatory action research of urban environmental affairs, and city and regional planning.

Dennis Lynch

Dennis Lynch has been active in the local Sierra Club Chickasaw Group for 8 years, and the ExCom for 6. He loves hiking and bicycling. Dennis would like to keep working with the Sierra Club on many issues, including Clean Renewable Energy (Climate Crisis), Transportation, and Recycling and Solid Waste. Also, he wants to work with you to strengthen our local environmental justice, communications and membership committees. Dennis has been active in many Sierra Club efforts at the local, state and national levels. Dennis would be happy to answer your questions. Thank you for your consideration.

Shahin Samiei

Shahin Samiei has worked with the Sierra Club Chickasaw Group in sustainability efforts since his time as a Master of Public Health graduate student at the University of Memphis in 2009. He has been a formal member of the Sierra Club since 2011 and works to connect environmental justice and sustainability with his various roles. Shahin also serves as the Shelby County Committee Chair for the Tennessee Equality Project (LGBTQ public policy advocacy). For their annual major fundraiser (TEP Gumbo Competition), he implemented the transition from single-use plastics toward compostable, reusable, and sustainably sourced materials. As a student and now staff at the University of Memphis, he has worked with the Physical Plant's sustainability leadership to ensure sustainability is a considered component of the area's logistics and process cycles. He volunteered with and served as the Secretary of the Memphis Bus Riders Union in the mid-2010s to advance transit justice and advocate for better transit in Memphis. As a native Memphian who values stewardship of our community, he is excited to have the opportunity to continue working with the Sierra Club as we tackle tough challenges that transcend environmental protection, materials science, human behavior, public policy, and social justice.