The
Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club is an outdoor
recreation and conservation organization representing
approximately 24,000 Texans and 13 regional groups
from Big Bend to Houston.
Our State Conservation
Office, located near the State Capitol in Austin, serves
as a lobbying office and grassroots communications
center supporting advocacy and education about our
environmental priorities: Clean Air & Water, Smart Energy Solutions, Texas Land & Wildlife Legacy, Responsible Transportation Choices, and Water for People & the
Environment. The Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club
values diversity and promotes environmental education
and environmental justice in our efforts to fulfill
our mission to explore, enjoy, and protect our Texas
natural heritage and to protect public health.
Ken has a Ph.D. in Political
Science from Rice University and his special area
of interest during his academic career teaching
and conducting research at Texas state universities
was environmental policy and administration. He has 25 years of experience working
on water and other environmental issues as an academic, an environmental
group leader, and public policy specialist. He
has been appointed to numerous task forces
and advisory committees by Texas state officials,
including the Governor of Texas and the Speaker
of the Texas House.
Cyrus Reed, Ph.D., Conservation Director
Cyrus has a Ph.D. in Geography from the
University of Texas at Austin, with a focus on water policy
and the dispute over the Rio Grande water with Mexico.
Prior to becoming conservation director, he served as
Sierra Club's lobbyist on energy and air quality issues
during the 2005 and 2007 legislative sessions, and also
directed the Texas Center for Policy Studies, an environmental
policy and advocacy organization based in Austin, for five
years. He is presently working on energy issues
and their impacts. Cyrus has
also worked as a journalist and has spent considerable
time in Mexico, Costa Rica and Nicaragua.
Neil Carman, Clean Air Director
Neil is involved in a broad range of Texas air quality
issues including : 1) reviewing emissions and technical data on industrial
sources of air pollution and particularly their impacts on communities
of color and low-income neighborhoods; 2) commenting on one-hour ozone
nonattainment programs; 3) implementation of the new EPA eight-hour
ozone standard; 4) EPA's Title V federal air operating permit program;
5) educational outreach to Sierra Club members on local air quality;
6) evaluating air toxics monitoring around industrial sources; 7) working
with citizens to train them how to take air samples near industrial
sources; and more.
Jennifer
Walker, Water Resources Specialist
Jennifer works primarily on the Texas Living
Waters Project. She monitors and is a member of the Lower
Colorado Regional Water Planning Group. She has served
on that group as the Environmental Representative for
almost three years. The Living Waters Project is working with
the Regional Planning groups to assure that water is available for people and wildlife.
Jennifer also monitors other water planning
entities from the central Texas area down to and including
Matagorda Bay.
Jerome Collins, Administrative Assistant
Jerome’s responsibilities include
administrative and general office duties, assistance
in coordinating chapter activities and meetings,
interaction with volunteers, assistance in the
publication and distribution of chapter newsletters
and other publications, and response to inquiries
from members, volunteers, and the general public.
The administrative assistant position has become
a vital one for the smooth functioning of the Chapter
office. Jerome brings considerable administrative
experience to this position. Most recently, for
a period of four years, he was the Facilities Manager
at the Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve in West Austin.
His duties there were supervising volunteers, trail
maintenance teams, producing a quarterly newsletter
and managing the Preserve’s operations budget.
Donna Hoffman, Communication Coordinator
Donna coordinates placement of our
messages before the Texas news media. Sometimes
those stories can be heard walking across the global
village on the internet. Besides communication
support on the various issues of our Chapter, Donna
focuses on energy issues – working
with Texas groups to help move our economy away
from uranium mining, nuclear power, and coal-fired
power plants. She believes the many studies that
show we can transition our society to a clean energy
future by greatly increasing efficiency across
all sectors and by installing wind, solar, and
geothermal power. Originally from Corpus Christi,
Texas, Donna has a BS in Communications from UT
Austin, 1984. She has lived in Austin, Syracuse,
NY, and Dublin Ireland and has worked in community
organizing and media since 1982.
