All Chapter members are eligible to vote for the Chapter Executive Committee.  Additionally you may be eligible to vote in the Group elections if you live in one of the listed cities or zip codes.

If you live in one of these cities or zip codes, please vote using the North County Group ballot!

Bonsall, Escondido, Fallbrook, Oceanside zip code 92058, Pala, Palomar Mtn., Pauma Valley, Poway, Ramona, San Diego zip codes 92127, 92128 & 92198, San Marcos, Santa Ysabel, Vista, and Valley Center.

If you live in these cities or zip codes, please vote using the North County Coastal (Coasters) Group  ballot!

Cardiff, Carlsbad, Del Mar, Encinitas, Oceanside zip codes 92052, 92054, 92056 & 92057, Rancho Santa Fe, and Solana Beach.

The Chapter Executive Committee is composed of seven elected volunteers and an appointed representative from each Chapter Group.  The Chapter Executive Committee has the legal responsibility and authority to oversee all staff and volunteer activities of the Chapter, to establish the Chapter’s conservation priorities and internal policies, and to adopt and implement the annual budget.

The Group Executive Committees govern the business of the Group. They are the key committee responsible for making important policy decisions and setting priorities for the future in their region.

Executive Committee members receive no monetary compensation but may be reimbursed for approved expenses while on Chapter/Group business. 

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Chapter Executive Committee Candidates

Three (3) Chapter Executive Committee members will be elected.  The two candidates receiving the highest vote will be elected to three-year terms, the next highest vote will be elected to a one-year term. 

Susan Baldwin, , AICP (American Institute of Certified Planners)
Susan Baldwin, , AICP (American Institute of Certified Planners)
I am pleased to run for the Executive Committee of the San Diego Chapter of the Sierra Club. I am a long time member of the club and have been an active member of the Conservation Committee for two years from 2020 to 2022. I have a B.A. in American Studies (1975) from the University of Colorado, Boulder and did graduate work in City Planning at San Diego State University.

I believe my 40 years of professional experience as a city/regional planner (City of Boulder, City of La Mesa, City of San Diego, and the San Diego Association of Governments) and five years of advocacy since my retirement will make me an effective Executive Committee member and provide the Chapter an important perspective on many environmental and planning issues facing the San Diego region.

I have a deep commitment to both environmental and social justice issues as evidenced by my career as a planner and my volunteer activities in support of affordable housing and fighting sprawl development, a few of which are listed below:
– San Diegans for Managed Growth – Boardmember, Board President (2018 to present)
– Measure A / Save Our San Diego Countryside (March 3, 2020 Primary Election)
– Campaign Manager, Volunteer Signature Gathering Coordinator (20182020)
– Parks and Recreation Coalition (PARC), Co-chair, 2020 to present (advocacy related to City of San Diego Parks Master Plan (PMP)

I hope to serve on the Executive Committee to contribute more deeply to the preservation and protection of the San Diego region’s unique environment, and to the social justice and climate issues it faces.

Alan Geraci
Alan Geraci
I grew up on Long Island, New York, graduating cum laude from State University of New York at Albany in 1978, with a B.A. in Sociology. After moving to San Diego, I went to law school, graduating in 1982 from California Western School of Law, serving as the Head Notes and Comments Editor of the law school’s Law Journal. I was also awarded California Western School of Law 1981 Faculty Award for Consumer Protection Law. After graduating from law school, I was employed as Deputy City Attorney for the City of San Diego for five years, holding posts as a Supervising Trial and Appellate Attorney and Civil Litigation Counsel, where I fought developers for open space in the City of San Diego, including the Mission Trails Regional
Park.

I am a life member of Sierra Club and believe in its mission and I am active in the local chapter, serving as the North County Group PolCom Chair and I am on the Executive Committee for both the North County Group and the San Diego Chapter.

I remain in private practice, operating as CARE Law Group PC, now focusing my practice on Estate Planning and offering a pro-active alternative to the destructive nature of probate and litigation. In addition to membership to the California State Bar, I hold a real estate broker’s license. I am currently President of the San Marcos Rotary Club, President of San Marcos Democratic Club, Treasurer of San Marcos Youth Baseball, and a delegate to the California Democratic Party.

Ron Askeland
Ron Askeland
I’m passionate about preserving our planet for future generations. I’ve been a Sierra Club member since 1984 and serve as Chair of our chapter’s Zero Waste Subcommittee. I’m also a member of our Chapter and State Conservation Committees. I’m a Coleader of SD-SEQUEL (San Diegans for Sustainable, Equitable, & Quiet Equipment in Landscaping) and a board member of the PQ-NE Action Group and the Rancho Peñasquitos Fire Safe Council.

I coauthor the Zeroing in on Zero Waste and SD-SEQUEL articles in the HiSierran. I love spending time outdoors and recently completed all 50 hikes in the NCG 50 Hike Challenge. During my 35 years of working at Hewlett Packard, I led multiple international R&D teams, including 4 years living in Barcelona. Having a PhD in Chemistry helps me understand the scientific aspects of environmental issues and gives me greater credibility when I provide public testimony at state and local meetings.

As an ExCom member, I would focus on equity, inclusiveness, and social media outreach. I would also like to help streamline the process our Chapter uses to take positions on issues. Most importantly, I want to learn what issues you are passionate about and be your advocate.

North County Group Executive Committee Candidates

Four (4) Executive Committee members will be elected for terms of two years.

Lucero Sanchez
Lucero Sanchez
Lucero is the Campaigns Manager at San Diego Coastkeeper where she supports the organization’s policy and advocacy work through community engagement to ensure environmental justice and equity.

Lucero’s passion for the environment began in high school, where she spent most of her weekends volunteering at the Aquarium of the Pacific. She holds a B.A. in Environmental Systems from the University of California San Diego, where she specialized in Environmental Policy. Lucero is a firm believer in the need for a multidimensional approach to solving the climate crisis that includes science, governance, and societal transformation. Prior to working with Coastkeeper, Lucero was a campaign organizer, working to elect and re-elect an environmental advocate to Congress. She also serves as the Board President of the League of Conservation Voters San Diego and the Vice-Chair of San Diego County’s Environmental Health and Quality Advisory board.

As a young Latina immigrant, she hopes to bring a new perspective to this Board and would greatly appreciate your support.

Chris Nava
Chris Nava
In the past few years I have been actively involved with the North County Group of the Sierra Club. My experience working with a group of dedicated environmentalists has impacted my life in numerous ways. I feel that the knowledge that have gained as a member of the NCG has opened doors to
understand more fully and appreciate what it means to be a citizen of planet earth, and to be more effective in the work I am engaged in as a team member.

I see the opportunity to serve on the executive committee of the North County Group of the Sierra Club as empowering. As a member of the SC, my advocacy is enhanced by the support of the millions of members who share a common goal of environmental justice and preservation of our natural resources.

The NCG has many impressive accomplishments, but the work is far from finished. The Climate Action Plan that has been approved by the city council has yet to move on implementation. Threats to safety and the environment by the Harvest Hills developers will be on the agenda in the near future. NCG will need to mobilize to prevent a vote in favor of the developer. The challenges to a just and healthy environment continue. I would like to be a part of meeting these challenges by taking a role in the executive committee.

North County Coastal (Coasters) Group Candidates

Three (3)  Executive Committee members will be elected to two-year terms.

Sally Prendergast
Sally Prendergast
Residence – Encinitas

Background – Strategic Marketing/Management. Environmental Advocate. Current Chair of The Sierra Club North County Coastal Group and Board Member of the Sierra Club San Diego Chapter Executive Committee.

I have been a member of the Sierra club since 1997 but really became active in the North County Coastal Group, about 7 years ago when I volunteered for the interim Planning Committee. In 2016 we officially re-launched the North County Coasters Group and I was elected for a two year term to serve on the Executive Committee Board. Since then I have continue to serve as Chair of the Coasters ExCom, as well as a voting Board Member of the Sierra Club San Diego Chapter ExCom. Over the last 7 years our ExCom has spent our time focussed on endorsements for political candi-dates, conservation and development issues, and working with environmental partners on a variety of activities from reducing single use plastics to supporting legislation to prevent our open spaces from thoughtless sprawl and being lost forever. This past year I have acted as a representative for our Chapter on a State-wide task force fo-cussed on the 30 x30 initiative (Preserve 30% of our natural lands and resources by 2030). We have also hosted quarterly meetings that have featured speakers on a varie-ty of topics from sea level rise to lagoon restoration. My entire life I have enjoyed and appreciated nature and have been an outdoor enthusiast. I feel deeply connected to our beautiful North County environment and I am passionate about it’s preservation. In particular, I am concerned with issues relating to climate change, preserving open spaces and conservation. Now more than ever I believe it is critical that The North County Coastal Group stays focussed on the goal of building a vibrant and active group dedicated to preserving our beautiful North County region, growing our membership and connecting people to the outdoors.

After earning an MBA from Northwestern I worked in the entertainment business where I held a number of strategic marketing and management positions. When we moved to Encinitas I turned my attention to our children and became an avid volunteer in the school district, serving as PTA President and a holding several foundation positions. I have continued to work as a marketing consultant. Over the years I have been involved with a number of local issues related to development, traffic and conservation and feel grateful to have the opportunity to direct my strategic marketing and management skills to work on behalf of the environment for the Sierra Club.

John Eldon
John Eldon
While growing up in burning, choking west Los Angeles smog, I developed a keen interest in air pollution, and when I entered UCLA this quickly led me to Project Clean Air. My love of bicycling simultaneously led me to become active in UCLA’s Earth Action Council, which advocated bicycling for transportation. A few years later, the groundbreaking and interdisciplinary Doctor of Environmental Science and Engineering program was established, and in 1978 I became one of the early recipients of the D.Env. degree, while researching mathematical modeling of photochemical smog formation at Technology Service Corporation.

My career subsequently took a different turn, when I began designing integrated circuits to perform real time signal processing using some of the same tools I have used and developed in data science. I never lost a passion for environmental protection, and I have served on the Encinitas Environmental Commission since its creation, and I have taught several sessions of a civil engineering course on air and water pollution at UCSD Extension. My current environmental interests include lifecycle accounting of consumer goods, including waste reduction and resource reclamation, as well as climate change, because I understand the science and math behind the models and projections and the technology used in data collection. Just as my doctoral thesis suggested ways of optimizing smog precursor emission strategies, I am likewise interested in realistic and cost-effective strategies that deliver a win-win for the environment, the economy, and human quality of life.

Mark Jenne
Mark Jenne
In 1981 the Sierra Club caught my eye as the best way to work against the anti-environmental bias of the Reagan administration, and I’ve been a member ever since. During that time the ability of people working together to affect issues that impact our daily lives has become clear. Along those lines, I’d like to see the North County Coastal Group continue to help preserve the functional, natural beauty of our large and small wild areas and help people find ways to experience nature regularly. We also need to do our part to save the planet starting at the local level, both by direct action and by electing responsible people to public office.

I’m currently on the Coaster executive committee, serving as secretary. I’m also a volunteer naturalist/docent for the Nature Collective and a member of the City of Encinitas Urban Forest Advisory Committee. I enjoy learning about the great variety of life that dwells in and passes through this area, and look forward to working with you all to make our Sierra Club fun and effective!