PEOPLE

ECOS Membership

The ECOS Membership includes the Board of Directors and the individual ECOS members. The Membership elects the at-large board members and votes on changes to the Bylaws.

See Biographies far below.

ECOS Board of Directors

The Board includes the elected officers (which includes the Chairs of Standing Committees), elected at-large board members, and representatives of organizational members. The Board elects the officers and the chairs of standing committees. Members of the Executive Committee (ExCom) are noted with *

Habitat 2020

Habitat2020 is ECOS’ Habitat Committee. It is a coalition that works to protect the lands, waters, wildlife and native plants in the Sacramento region. With the following member organizations, H2020 presents a united voice for the environment to local decision-makers and our fellow citizens:

Biographies

MATTHEW BAKER

Matthew Baker serves as a Policy Advisor to ECOS with primary focus is on equitable infill development and anti-displacement issues. In 2008 he began working as land use and conservation policy director for ECOS and Habitat 2020. In 2017 he joined Planning and Conservation League (PCL) while continuing part time with ECOS. At PCL, he works on state and local issues, fostering cross-sector solutions to achieve California’s climate goals, conserve natural and working lands, improve public health outcomes, and provide equitable access to opportunity for all Californians. In 2018, Matthew received an Environmentalist of the Year Award for his work with the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG), specifically for his analysis of the Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (MTP/SCS). Also recognized with the award is his work on the California Heartland Project, including cutting-edge work with UC Davis in the mapping and analysis of the region’s natural resources, habitat and ecosystem services.

DEB BANKS  

Deb Banks serves as Organizational Representative to the ECOS Board for Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates (SABA). She is the Executive Director of SABA, where she works towards making our streets safe for cyclists and pedestrians in the Sacramento Region. SABA believes that people can use a bicycle for short trips around town, which supports both the region’s active transportation goals and climate goals. She is a commissioner on the City of Sacramento’s Active Transportation and is a member of the Davis Bike Club Board and past Vice President of Randonneurs USA. Deb holds a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado in Education, Leadership and Innovation. She has explored the world as an endurance cyclist and believes that bicycles can change the world.

CHRIS BROWN  

Chris Brown serves as an At-Large Board Member of the ECOS Board. He is the Coordinator of the Sacramento Climate Coalition. He 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.

ROB BURNESS      

Rob Burness serves as Co-Chair of the ECOS Habitat Committee, Habitat 2020. He also serves as Organizational Representative to ECOS for the Friends of Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. He is a member of the Conservation Committee of the Sierra Club’s Mother Lode Chapter. Rob graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Biological Sciences. He was an early employee of Jones and Stokes Associates and was a principal contributor to a proposed Consumnes River Parkway Plan. He worked for 30 years 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. He was a principal architect of the County’s Urban Service Boundary.

TRACI CANFIELD

Traci Canfield serves as an At-Large Board Member of the ECOS Board. She has been with Sacramento Regional Transit over 20 years in the roles of community outreach, planning, and now as Senior Manager of Real Estate and Transit Oriented Development to promote equitable transit-oriented communities and policies in the region. Traci also serves on the Urban Land Institute’s Building Healthy & Equitable Places Committee. Prior to SacRT, she worked for an environmental engineering firm as a public participation specialist for groundwater and soil remediation efforts; and as Sacramento County’s curbside recycling program promotions manager and volunteer coordinator.

JONATHAN COOK

Jonathan Cook serves as Organizational Representative to ECOS for the Sacramento Housing Alliance. He is the Executive Director of the Sacramento Housing Alliance.

JOHN DEETER 

John Deeter serves as At-Large Board Member of ECOS. He has been on the board since 2005, served as Treasurer between 2007 and 2014, and as Chair/Co-Chair of the ECOS Transportation, Air Quality & Climate Change Committee from 2015 to 2022. John 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.

JONATHAN ELLISON  

Jon Ellison serves as Co-Chair of the ECOS Organizational Development Committee. He is a retired attorney with expertise in disabled peoples’ rights, elder law, Social Security, housing law, nonprofit law, and he has a passion for preserving the environment. A father and grandfather, Jon joined the ECOS Board of Directors in 2006, served as President of the Board in 2011 and 2012, and Chair of the Organizational Development Committee from 2022 to the present.

CONNOR FINNEY

Connor Finney serves as a member of the ECOS Executive Committee and as Organizational Representative for House Sacramento where he volunteers as its Outreach Coordinator. He was a Legislative Assistant to CA State Assembly Member Alex Lee on housing and transportation policy and works now as a Legislative Analyst at the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR).

HEATHER FARGO 

Heather Fargo serves as President-elect for ECOS. For two years, Heather has led the Land Use-Natomas team, battling proposed developments in the Natomas Basin because they are inconsistent with regional and local plans, and will turn back the progress in species and habitat conservation made over 30 years in the Natomas Basin. Heather was Mayor of the City of Sacramento from 2000 to 2008, following eleven years as a City Council member. After elected life, Heather became the first Executive Director of the CA Strategic Growth Council (2010-2012), where she pursued a more sustainable future for CA and the world. She worked at the Sacramento Tree Foundation to expand tree canopies in our underserved communities; was president of the Capital Women’s Campaign to guide Sacramento women to flex their power in pursuit of gender parity; is a member in the National Women’s Political Caucus; and is a member of the Northern California Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

SUSAN HERRE 

Susan Herre serves as President of the Board of Directors of ECOS. She engaged with ECOS in 2016 and served as President-elect during 2021. She is a certified urban planner and licensed architect, with expertise in transportation and land use planning. For Federal Transit Administration and Federal Railroad Administration in Washington, she managed capital projects and wrote guidance on station planning and project management. Previously, Susan worked as an architect on institutional buildings in San Diego and St Louis. Over the years she has been an activist for public transit and the preservation of open space.

ANUSHKA KALYAN

Anushka Kalyan serves as an At-Large member on the ECOS Board and a member of the Executive Committee. As a sophomore in high school, she engaged with ECOS in 2022. She suggested the theme “GROW NATIVE” for Sacramento Earth Day 2023, which quickly shaped the entire event. With Luz Lim, who is now an ECOS Policy Analyst, Anushka started the ECOS Environmental Justice Team in 2024. Anushka is also the Placer County representative on SACOG’s Mobility Zones Task Force, the Action Team Lead for 350 Sacramento, lead for Fridays for Future, a co-signatory of the USA National Youth Statement for COP29, and a public speaker/organizer of numerous climate rallies. To learn more about transportation, land use, and water, in summer 2023, she attended the California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science (COSMOS) at UC Davis.

LUZ LIM

Luz Lim serves as a Policy Analyst working for both ECOS and Habitat 2020, starting July 2024. In this capacity, she develops policy positions and manages environmental initiatives and campaigns in the topic areas of climate change, land use, transportation, environmental justice, green building, water, and habitat preservation in the jurisdictions in Sacramento County, as well as in the six-county SACOG region. With ECOS colleague Anushka Kalyan, Luz established the ECOS Environmental Justice Team. She has a BA in Geology from Amherst College and an MS in Geology from University of Nevada, Reno.

RON MAERTZ 

Ron Maertz serves as an At-Large member of the ECOS Board. He has been actively involved in ECOS for many years and served as Chair of the Land Use Committee for over ten years. Ron was selected as Environmentalist of the Year in 2012.   He spent his entire career working as an urban/environmental planner. Ron was an early proponent for the integration of land use, transportation and air quality in the planning process.          

CAROL MARQUE 

Carol Marque serves as Organizational Representative to the ECOS Board for the League of Women Voters of Sacramento County. She is on the LWV Board and is also Chair of the its Climate Change Committee. Carol is committed to attending and reporting on pressing issues that the League could address, such as the protection of the Natomas Basin habitat from development. Carol is a retired English teacher who served many years as a state delegate and national representative for teacher union assemblies – CTA and NEA. She began her climate activism journey years ago by introducing climate change issues into her English curriculum. She continues her commitment to climate change education through a food waste game at various LWV voter registration tables.

RALPH PROPPER 

Ralph serves as Chair of the ECOS Climate Committee, after having been President of the Board from 2018 to 2022. Ralph retired in 2015 from the California Air Resources Board’s Air Quality and Climate Science Research Section. He taught at UC Davis and Sacramento City College as an adjunct chemistry professor. He is a board member of Breathe California Sacramento Region, and Sacramento’s “Green Incubator.”

TED RAUH             

Ted Rauh serves as Chair of the ECOS Water Committee and represents ECOS on the Water Forum. He has over 30 years of executive management experience with the State of California directing energy conservation and power plant siting programs, hazardous waste and hazardous site cleanup programs, and solid waste management and recycling programs.

ALEXANDRA REAGAN         

Alexandra Reagan serves as Director of Operations for ECOS. She runs our day-to-day operations. She works to increase environmental justice in our region, expand public transportation, reduce urban sprawl, encourage infill development, and promote other climate solutions such as lowering fossil fuel usage and decreasing heat island effects. Alexandra obtained a bachelor’s degree in Child Development with a minor in Ethnic Studies at California State University Sacramento.

SAM RICE

Sam Rice serves as a member of the ECOS Executive Committee, as Organizational Representative for Environmental Democrats of Sacramento County, and as Lead for Transportation under the Climate Committee. He led an outreach and education effort on transit pursuant to a contract between SacRT and ECOS. Sam is focused on expanding and enhancing local and regional transit networks to benefit the Sacramento region, to serve our growing population, help meet our climate goals, and create opportunities for small business. Sam is a Sacramento native. He has over seven years of experience in labor relations, advocacy, organizing, and the management of intermodal transportation operations at one of the nation’s largest container ports. Sam has a degree in philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley.

SHERRY RICE

Sherry Rice serves as Treasurer on the ECOS Board. Sherry has worked in technology and communications for over 25 years with expertise in finance, operations, business planning, strategic planning, and business development. She is currently VP and General Manager of Supply Chain at Intel. She holds a BA in Economics from Stanford University, an MBA from University of California, Davis, and is pursuing a Masters in Sustainability at Harvard Extension School. She is passionate about preserving our planet for future generations and is committed to make an impact both personally and professionally. Sherry lives in Sacramento with her husband and three children.

BRANDON ROSE  

Brandon Rose serves as a member of the ECOS Executive Committee, and an At-Large member of the ECOS Board. He was the President of the ECOS Board in 2016 and 2017, and was a 2020 Environmentalist of the Year award recipient. He currently serves on the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) Board of Directors and was the 2022 Board President. Brandon works for the California Air Resources Board with an emphasis on heavy duty vehicle electrification. Previously, he worked on renewable energy at the California Energy Commission. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science and Policy from UC Davis.

ANDY SAWYER  

Andy Sawyer serves as Secretary on the ECOS Board. He was President of the ECOS Board from 2002-2007. He was a Former Chair of Sierra Club California, and is Chair of the Sierra Club Mother Lode Chapter. Andy is an environmental lawyer. He has served as Chair of the California State Bar Environmental Law Section and the Sacramento County Bar Association Environmental Law Section.

TINA SUAREZ-MURIAS

Tina Suarez-Murias serves as Organizational Representative to ECOS for Save Our Sandhill Cranes, a local group advocating for preservation of habitat vital to migratory Sandhill Cranes, a State-listed threatened species that overwinters in the Sacramento region. Tina retired from the California Air Resources Board where she analyzed the sources and movement of particle pollutants in the air. Trained as a biologist and a regional planner, her professional career focused on the regulatory aspects of environmental protection. Her experience spans private, public, and not-for-profit sectors, throughout the United States. Her areas of expertise also include wetlands protection and restoration, floodplain and coastal resources management, internal industrial compliance, harbor management, integrated waste management, cautious land development, and water resources management.

EDITH THACHER

Edith Thacher serves as Organizational Representative to ECOS for Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) Sacramento, a nonpartisan, grassroots, advocacy group focused on strong climate policy at the national level. Edith is the lead for CCL Sacramento. She worked for twenty years as a management consultant, serving the public sector, specializing in project management and change management.

DAWN WHITNEY

Dawn Whitney serves as Co-Chair of the ECOS Organizational Development Committee. She initially engaged with ECOS in 2022 and worked with the Events Team and with Habitat 2020 to comment on the Delta Tunnel Draft EIR. She is a key member of the Land Use – Natomas Team. Dawn worked as a litigator for over 30 years including prosecuting administrative actions against peace officers charged with misconduct. She began her career in Los Angeles, and moved to Sacramento to begin state employment in 2001. Dawn has been involved in environmental causes over the last 10 years, but with an increasing intensity since her retirement from law practice in 2019.

SEAN WIRTH

Sean Wirth serves as Co-Chair of the ECOS Habitat Committee, Habitat 2020. He is currently the Conservation Chair for the Mother Lode Chapter of the Sierra Club, and a founding member of Save Our Sandhill Cranes. After Sean retired from a career in real estate investing, he has dedicated his life to saving habitat in our region.

ASHLYN ZENTNER

Ashlyn Zentner serves as Organizational Representative to ECOS for 350 Sacramento. She wants to work collaboratively with the Sacramento environmental coalition to achieve policies and decisions that prioritize people and the planet, to create sustainable solutions to the dire threats of the climate crisis. Ashlyn is currently a substitute teacher and climate justice activist. She has a B.A. in Global Studies from California State University, Monterey Bay.