ECOS strives to create a safe space for everyone to participate in our mission to achieve regional and community sustainability and a healthy environment for existing and future residents.
Attend our board meetings
Everyone is welcome to attend ECOS Board meetings! For more info about the meetings, including dates, times, agendas and minutes, click here.
Executive Committee
President
Ralph Propper
rpropper47 [at] icloud [dot] com
Ralph Propper retired in 2015 from the California Air Resources Board’s Air Quality and Climate Science Research Section. Until becoming ECOS president, he was an adjunct chemistry professor at Sacramento City College. He is also a board member of Breathe California Sacramento Region, and Sacramento’s “Green Incubator”.
Immediate Past President
Brandon Rose
brandondrose [at] hotmail [dot] com
Brandon Rose currently serves on the Sacramento Municipal Utility District Board of Directors and the Sacramento County Treasury Oversight Committee. Brandon works for the California Air Resources Board with a focus on reducing air pollution emissions from the transportation sector. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning from UC Davis.
Treasurer
Earl Withycombe
earlwithycombe [at] gmail [dot] com
Earl Withycombe is a consulting air pollution engineer, community activist and recovering elected official. Earl’s direct participation in ECOS’ work began in 1992 with advocacy and testimony on the 1993 county general plan update. He has been an indispensable leader on the ECOS board of directors ever since.
Secretary
Andy Sawyer
andysawyer [at] aol [dot] com
Andy Sawyer is a past president of ECOS, a former chair of Sierra Club California, and chair of the Sierra Club Mother Lode Chapter. An environmental lawyer, Andy has served as chair of the California State Bar Environmental Law Section and the Sacramento County Bar Association Environmental Law Section.
Habitat 2020 Committee
Co-Chair
Robert Burness
rmburness [at] comcast [dot] net
Rob Burness graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Biological Sciences. Rob served as a land use planner for the Sacramento County Planning Department, where he focused on compact, efficient urban growth that minimizes impact on natural habitat. Rob is also involved with the Sierra Club.
Co-Chair
Sean Wirth
wirthsoscranes [at] yahoo [dot] com
After retiring from a career in real estate investing, Sean has dedicated his life to saving habitat in our region. He is currently the conservation chair for the Mother Lode Chapter of the Sierra Club, Co-Chair of Habitat 2020, on the board and executive committee of ECOS and a founding member of Save Our Sandhill Cranes.
Transportation, Air Quality and Climate Change Committee
Co-Chair
John Deeter
jdeeter [at] gmail [dot] com
John Deeter has been a board member of ECOS since 2005, and has served as Treasurer (2007-14), and as Chair/Co-Chair of the Transportation, Air Quality & Climate Change Committee since 2015. He is a passionate advocate of non-auto modes of transportation and rides his bicycle frequently. He is retired, after 30 years of astronomical research at the University of Washington.
Co-Chair
Lynne Goldsmith
Lausmith2again [at] gmail [dot] com
Lynne Goldsmith has been passionate about environmental issues her whole life. Her career included Bike Program Manager in Planning for the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and public outreach and education consultant for the City of Los Angeles Wastewater Program and City of Burbank Recycling Program launch. Upon locating to Sacramento, she volunteers with ECOS and 350 Sacramento.
Organizational Development Committee
Co-Chair
Nancy Hughett
coyote1 [at] surewest [dot] net
Bio to be posted
Land Use Committee
Co-Chair
Jonathan Ellison
jellison [at] surewest [dot] net
Jon is an attorney in private practice in the Sacramento area with expertise in disabled peoples’ rights, elder law, Social Security, housing law, nonprofit law and a passion for preserving the environment. A father and grandfather, Jon joined the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) board of directors in 2006 and became President of the Board for 2011- 2012. He has also been co-chair of the Organizational Development Committee.
Co-Chair
Robert Meagher
RMeagher [at] SureWest [dot] net
Robert Meagher has tirelessly kept up the project list for ECOS, which includes all new relevant proposed developments in the region. He has also managed to consolidate and organize the countless PDF documents that often make up long CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) documents, and their corresponding attachments, into a single database categorized by region, priority and timing. Making these documents easier to use and refer to cuts down on the time it takes ECOS committees to digest and comment on environmental documents, effectively making it simpler for us to engage in the CEQA process.
At-Large Director Representative
Ron Maertz
ronmaertz [at] surewest [dot] net
Ron Maertz spent his entire career working in environmental public service. Since his retirement, Ron has become actively involved in ECOS, serving as one of ECOS’ representatives to the Smart Growth Leadership Recognition Program Committee and as its Land Use Chair / Co-Chair for over 10 years. Ron was selected as Environmentalist of the Year in 2012.
At-Large Director Representative
Susan Herre
susanherre [at] gmail [dot] com
Susan Herre is an urban planner and architect. At the United States Department of Transportation in Washington, she managed transit and rail capital projects, and previously worked on university and hospital buildings in San Diego and St Louis. Over the years Susan has been an activist for urban transit and preservation of open space.
At-Large Directors
Nailah Pope-Harden
nailahph [at] gmail [dot] com
Nailah Pope- Harden is a community organizer from south Sacramento working on environmental justice, community development and civic engagement. She is passionate about equitable resources for all. She got involved in ECOS transportation work in 2016 and joined the ECOS board in 2018.
Ron Maertz
ronmaertz [at] surewest [dot] net
Bio above
Spencer Marshall
srmarshall23 [at] yahoo [dot] com
Spencer Marshall joined ECOS as an at-large board member in 2013 while attending CSU Sacramento. Spencer was a scientific aid in the 401 Wetlands Protection Unit for the State Water Resources Control Board and upon completing his degree in environmental studies he transferred to the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board. He serves on the Habitat 2020 committee and is involved with the water group. Spencer is passionate about environmental conservation and is particularly focused on the challenges California is facing in addressing long-term water supply.
Beilul Naizghi
beilul [dot] naizghi [at] gmail [dot] com
Beilul Naizghi came to Sacramento as an Americorp VISTA at NeighborWorks Sacramento in August 2017. She currently works as a Project Assistant at Mercy Housing and is most interested in encouraging infill, transit oriented affordable housing in Sacramento. Beilul has a Bachelor’s degree from Brown University in Public Policy.
Chris Brown
info [at] sacclimate [dot] org
Chris Brown is a nationally recognized expert in water conservation and drought. He left his position as Executive Director of the California Urban Water Conservation Council in 2014 to work on climate issues as well as his ongoing water-related work. He also serves as the coordinator of the Sacramento Climate Coalition.
Michael O’Sullivan
mosullivan [at] sac [dot] coop
Michael has been active in the community through involvement in the Lower Sacramento River Task Force, the Sacramento Northern Railroad Parkway, and the Sacramento Tree Foundation. He is a an employee of the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op and has represented the Co-op on the ECOS Board for a number of years. He has also helped put on Sacramento Earth Day and the Environmentalist of the Year awards.
Susan Herre
susanherre [at] gmail [dot] com
Bio above
Tinn Lee
lee [dot] tinn [at] gmail [dot] com
Tinn found sustainability in college when studying interior design and leads a minimalist lifestyle. She currently works as an event coordinator for American Institute of Architects (AIA) and bike valet lead for Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates (SABA). You can find her biking around town from event to event, making muffins every Tuesday, or rock climbing at Pipeworks.
Gabriel Balensiefer
gabriel [at] hyperionndt [dot] com
Gabriel Balensiefer is an industrial x-ray inspector serving aerospace and other manufacturing industries. He is a student of business management, and the founder of a non-destructive inspection services and consultation start-up.
Alex Kelter
akmd [at] mac [dot] com
Alex Kelter, MD is retired from the California Department of Health Services (DHS) where he headed its injury and violence prevention branch for 17 years. In the late 1990s he learned about the obesity-related relationship between urban planning and public health. This propelled him toward a relationship with ECOS upon his retirement from DHS in 2006.
Chelsea Kelly-Reif
ckellyreif [at] gmail [dot] com
Chelsea Kelly-Reif is the current President of Sacramento Environmental Democrats and a member of the Democratic Party of Sacramento County Central Committee. She works as a Lead Software Engineer at the California Energy Commission with a focus on cloud computing and data science. As an ECOS board member since 2018, she is passionate about climate change mitigation, intersectional environmental justice, and conservation biology.
Member Organization Representatives
350 Sacramento
Laurie Litman
llitman [at] pacbell [dot] net
Breathe California of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails
This group needs to appoint a representative to the board.
Citizens Climate Lobby (CCL) Sacramento Chapter
This group needs to appoint a representative to the board.
Friends of Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge
This group needs to appoint a representative to the board.
International Dark-Sky Association
Jack E. Sales jesales [at] surewest [dot] net
Physicians for Social Responsibility, Sacramento Chapter
Bill Durston billdurston [at] gmail [dot] com
Sacramento Audubon Society
Larry Hickey
larryhickey1 [at] gmail [dot] com
Sacramento Electric Vehicle Association
Guy Hall guy [dot] t [dot] hall [at] gmail [dot] com
Sacramento Environmental Democrats
Slava Bekker borislava [dot] bekker [at] gmail [dot] com
Sacramento Housing Alliance (SHA)
This group needs to appoint a representative to the board.
Sacramento Natural Foods Coop
Michael O’Sullivan mosullivan [at] sac [dot] coop
Sacramento Valley Chapter of the California Native Plant Society (Sac CNPS)
Janet Koster jlkscorpio101 [at] gmail [dot] com
Sacramento Vegetarian Society
Glenn Destatte sacveggie [at] gmail [dot] com
Save Our Sandhill Cranes (SOS Cranes)
Tina Suarez-Murias csuarezm [at] arb [dot] ca [dot] gov
Save the American River Association (SARA)
Betsy Weiland flweiland [at] yahoo [dot] com
SEIU Local 1000 Environmental Committee
Mike Roskey Mike [dot] Roskey [at] wildlife [dot] ca [dot] gov
Sierra Club Sacramento Group
Marko Pavlovic vatropav [at] gmail [dot] com