Membership and Board of Directors

The ECOS Membership includes the Board of Directors and individual members. The Board of Directors includes the elected officers (including committee chairs), at-large members, and representatives of organizational members. The Membership elects the at-large members and votes on changes to the Bylaws. The Board elects the officers. See lists and biographies below.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee (ExCom) is composed of the officers and appointees as described in the ECOS Bylaws. The Executive Committee is delegated any of the powers and authority of the Board in the management of the business and affairs of the corporation, with certain exceptions. Its meetings are open to the public at committee discretion. Matters pertaining to litigation are typically conducted in executive session. In the list below, ExCom members are noted with an asterisk *.

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See this repository for Board documents, agendas, and meeting minutes. The repository of Executive Committee documents, agendas, and meeting minutes is available for internal use.

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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:

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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.

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.

CHERI DAVIS 

Cheri Davis serves as Organizational Representative to the ECOS Board for the Breathe California, where she serves on the Board. Cheri works for the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), where she oversees its renowned residential building electrification programs. Cheri has a broad background in energy policy and programs from her previous work at the California Energy Commission and the CA Air Resources Board, where she helped develop the State’s renewable energy programs and the Power Content Label, as well as greenhouse gas reduction strategies pursuant to AB 32.

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.

ADEDEJI EGUNNIKE

Adedeji Egunnike (DJ) serves as an At-Large Board Member of the ECOS Board. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA), and an adjunct professor.

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.

CLIFF FELDHEIM

Cliff Feldheim serves as the Organizational Representative to the ECOS Board for the Sacramento Audubon Society. He has been a Fish and Wildlife Biologist working in the Central Valley for over thirty years. He completed his BS and MS at Humboldt State with a focus on waterfowl and wetland management. Over the last thirty years, he has worked for nonprofit organizations and the State of California, restoring and managing a variety of habitats for wildlife, while developing long term monitoring programs and implementing focused research. Cliff currently works at Ducks Unlimited where he works on waterfowl and wetland conservation projects including multi-benefit projects such as floodplain and off-channel habitat creation that benefit salmon and waterfowl while incorporating the needs of other special status species. Over the last seven years, he has published seventeen papers on California’s wintering or breeding waterfowl. He has sat on the Management Board for the Central Valley Joint Venture, a migratory bird habitat conservation partnership, for ten of the last twelve years. Cliff also has extensive experience with state, federal, and local environmental regulations including evaluating a proposed project’s impact on Special Status wildlife, fish, and plant species as well as developing appropriate mitigation. He has written Initial Studies, Environmental Assessments, and Negative or Mitigated Negative Declarations. He has led the development of two EIR/EIS documents. He is a Board Member and Conservation Chair with the Sacramento Audubon Society.

HEATHER FARGO 

Heather Fargo serves as President of the Board of ECOS. For over 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 Immediate Past President of the Board of ECOS. She served as President in 2022, 2023, and 2024. 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 DC, she managed capital transit and rail 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.

EUGENE LEE

Eugene Lee serves as Co-Chair for the ECOS Climate Change Committee. He also serves on the Sacramento Environmental Commission and he privately consults on renewable energy, decarbonization, and sustainable community development. Eugene retired in 2022 from the California Energy Commission where he was a lead energy resources specialist for existing buildings. Previously he held leadership positions at the California State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) related to veterans housing, homelessness prevention, and grant programs for infill infrastructure, transit-oriented development housing, and rural home assistance. He is a graduate of UC Davis with a degree in political science with emphases in environmental policy and rhetoric.

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.

MICHAEL O’SULLIVAN

Michael O’Sullivan serves as Organizational Representative to the ECOS Board for the Sacramento Natural Foods Coop where he works in the accounting department. Michael is a member of the ECOS Organizational Development Committee and the lead for the ECOS Events Team that puts on Sacramento Earth Day each April and the Environmentalist of the Year Awards each fall. He still likes Star Trek and enjoys pumpkin carving and birding with his wife Jane.

RALPH PROPPER 

Ralph serves as a Co-Chair of the ECOS Climate Change 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.

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.

IRAH SHAIKH

Irah Shaikh serves as GIS and Policy Support to ECOS starting January 2025 after having volunteered for ECOS prior. She develops GIS studies for various initiatives and campaigns, such as Natomas Protect Our Open Space, provides administrative support to the President and Immediate Past President of the Board, and supports other ECOS projects and procedures. She attained a B.S. in Environmental Economics and Policy with a minor in Geographic Information Science and Technology from UC Berkeley.

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 climate policy at the federal level. She is also a lead for the Natomas Team under the ECOS Climate Committee. Edith worked for over twenty years as a management consultant, serving the public sector, specializing in project management and change management.

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.