
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 who is interested is welcome to attend ECOS Board meetings!
For more info about the meetings, including dates, times, agendas and minutes, click here.
Executive Committee
Board President
Ralph Propper
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.”
Contact: rpropper47 [at] icloud [dot] com
Board President-Elect
Susan Herre
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.
Contact: susanherre [at] gmail [dot] com
Immediate Past President
Brandon Rose
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.
Contact: brandondrose [at] hotmail [dot] com
Treasurer
Earl Withycombe
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.
Contact: earlwithycombe [at] gmail [dot] com
Secretary
Andy Sawyer
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.
Contact: andysawyer [at] aol [dot] com
Habitat 2020 Committee
Co-Chair
Robert Burness
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.
Contact: rmburness [at] comcast [dot] net
Co-Chair
Sean Wirth
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.
Contact: wirthsoscranes [at] yahoo [dot] com
Transportation, Air Quality and Climate Change Committee
Chair
John Deeter
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.
Contact: jdeeter [at] gmail [dot] com
Organizational Development Committee
Chair
Nancy Hughett
Nancy Hughett, retired from the California Air Resources Board, has worked with a variety of environmental and community groups over the years. Before joining the ECOS Board, she co-founded and helped lead the Science Project Mentoring Program, which advises students as they design and conduct experimental science projects at a local Sacramento school.
Contact: coyote1 [at] surewest [dot] net
Land Use Committee
Co-Chair
Jonathan Ellison
Jonathan Ellison 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.
Contact: jellison [at] surewest [dot] net
Co-Chair
Robert Meagher
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.
Contact: RMeagher [at] SureWest [dot] net
At-Large Director Representative
Ron Maertz
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.
Contact: ronmaertz [at] surewest [dot] net
At-Large Director Representative
Quincy Stivers
Quincy Stivers is a lifelong resident of Sacramento, and started out as an intern for ECOS. She is a recent graduate from the University of California, Berkeley where she began studying the effects of climate change. She is dedicated to building a more sustainable Sacramento.
Contact: qstivers [at] gmail [dot] com
At-Large Directors
Chelsea Kelly-Reif
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.
Contact: ckellyreif [at] gmail [dot] com
Chris Brown
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.
Contact: info [at] sacclimate [dot] org
Gabriel Balensiefer
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.
Contact: gabriel [at] hyperionndt [dot] com
Lita Brydie
Lita Brydie is a Regulatory Review Analyst who has become active with the ECOS Organizational Development Committee since 2019, bringing fresh ideas and her experience with organizing events to ECOS. She has worked to improve her community since she was a teen and is a champion of the rights of disenfranchised people.
Contact: shalita [dot] b [at] gmail [dot] com
Margaret Loehr
Bio to follow
Contact: marglow45 [at] yahoo [dot] com
Rory Pilling
Rory Pilling is a 17-year-old transgender man currently in his senior year of highschool. He’s been involved in political activism for a few years now, working on a variety of issues like stopping a jail expansion with Decarcerate Sacramento, lobbying in DC for the Global H.E.R. Act (abortion access) with Advocates For Youth, and running his school’s Gender Sexuality Alliance as president since his sophomore year.
Contact: rory [dot] pilling [at] gmail [dot] com
Sandra Hall
Sandra is currently on the Davis EV Association board, part of the Sacramento EV Association focusing on marketing support, working with a high school group on an outdoor adventure and environmental education and very interested in improving the local community through climate adaptation advocacy and education.
Contact: sehall [at] ucdavis [dot] edu
Quincy Stivers
Representative on the Executive Committee, above
Quincy is listed above, under “Executive Committee” because she is one of two At-Large Directors who represent all of the At-Large Directors on our Executive Committee.
Ron Maertz
Representative on the Executive Committee, above
Ron is listed above, under “Executive Committee” because he is one of two At-Large Directors who represent all of the At-Large Directors on our Executive Committee.
Member Organization Representatives
350 Sacramento
Laurie Litman
Contact: llitman [at] pacbell [dot] net
Breathe California Sacramento Region
Chris Flores
Contact: CFlores [at] sacrt [dot] com
California Native Plant Society Sacramento Valley Chapter
Janet Koster
Contact: jlkscorpio101 [at] gmail [dot] com
Citizens Climate Lobby Sacramento Chapter
This group needs to appoint a representative to the board.
Environmental Democrats of Sacramento County
Slava Bekker
Contact: borislava [dot] bekker [at] gmail [dot] com
Friends of Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge
This group needs to appoint a representative to the board.
International Dark-Sky Association
Jack E. Sales
Contact: jesales [at] surewest [dot] net
Physicians for Social Responsibility, Sacramento Chapter
Bill Durston
Contact: billdurston [at] gmail [dot] com
Sacramento Audubon Society
Larry Hickey
Contact: larryhickey1 [at] gmail [dot] com
Sacramento Electric Vehicle Association
Guy Hall
Contact: guy [dot] t [dot] hall [at] gmail [dot] com
Sacramento Housing Alliance
Kendra Lewis
Contact: kendra [at] sachousingalliance [dot] org
Sacramento Natural Foods Coop
Michael O’Sullivan
Contact: mosullivan [at] sac [dot] coop
Sacramento Vegetarian Society
Glenn Destatte
Contact: sacveggie [at] gmail [dot] com
Save Our Sandhill Cranes
Tina Suarez-Murias
Contact: csuarezm [at] arb [dot] ca [dot] gov
Save the American River Association
Betsy Weiland
Contact: flweiland [at] yahoo [dot] com
SEIU Local 1000 Environmental Committee
Mike Roskey
Contact: Mike [dot] Roskey [at] wildlife [dot] ca [dot] gov
Sierra Club Sacramento Group
Marko Pavlovic
Contact: vatropav [at] gmail [dot] com