VENTURA — The Climate First: Replacing Oil & Gas (CFROG) Board of Directors announced (on Sept. 28) that Liz Beall has been selected to serve as CFROG’s new Executive Director, effective this Thursday, October 1st, 2020. “CFROG’s Board is excited to welcome Liz Beall as our new Executive Director.” said John Brooks, President of CFROG’s Board. “Liz is an outspoken advocate for environmental justice and has the vision, perseverance, and knowledge needed to achieve CFROG’s goals.”
Liz has a strong track record of nonprofit leadership and has dedicated her career to championing environmental sustainability. She is the founder of two Bay Area nonprofits: Full Circle Farm, an 11-acre educational farm on a public middle school campus, and Wild Child, a wilderness-based environmental education program. As the former Interim Executive Director for Green Foothills, Liz oversaw a local environmental advocacy group responsible for significant victories for Bay Area open space preservation. She has also served as a nonprofit consultant for over a decade, helping numerous nonprofits, including Latino Outdoors, FIRST 5 Santa Clara County, The Living Classroom, and The Children & Nature Network develop robust new programs and communications strategies. She is a founding member of the Bay Area Children & Nature Collaborative and the Santa Clara County Food System Alliance.
Liz moved to Ventura County in 2018. She embodies the values that drive CFROG’s mission to combat the climate crisis locally by working to shape the transition from fossil fuels to a carbon-free economy in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. In her own words:
“As a passionate advocate for a sustainable future, I am incredibly excited to help CFROG continue to expand its horizons – both programmatically and geographically – and make a positive and lasting impact on the future of the Central Coast. Amidst the COVID crisis and climate-change driven wildfires, climate activism has taken on a new sense of urgency. In joining CFROG, I feel a renewed sense of purpose. Urgency and purpose, joined together, is what it will take to tackle the most urgent issue of our time: To end the vicious cycle of fossil fuel dependency and contamination of our air, soil, and water.” (her full letter can be read on the following page)
Liz holds her M.Sc. in medical anthropology from Oxford University, and her Bachelors’ from San Jose State University. A gifted storyteller, she is also a graduate of UCLA’s School of Theatre, Film, and Television. She, her husband John, and their two daughters live in Oxnard.
A Message from CFROG’S New Executive Director:
Dear Friends and Supporters,
I moved to Ventura County just over two years ago, but have lived in California for most of my adult life. For me, this isn’t just a job. Since the day we moved to Oxnard from the Bay Area, I have been continuously amazed by how lucky I am to live here. From its sweeping coastlines to its vibrant cities, the Central Coast is a beautiful place to live. But if we want to it to stay that way, there is a lot of work to be done. We are seeing first-hand the rapid environmental degradation and growing social inequalities driven by climate change, and it needs to be stopped – quickly and definitively.
As a passionate advocate for a sustainable future, I am incredibly excited to help CFROG continue to expand its horizons – both programmatically and geographically – and make a positive and lasting impact on the future of the Central Coast. Amidst the COVID crisis and climate-change driven wildfires, climate activism has taken on a new sense of urgency. In joining CFROG, I feel a renewed sense of purpose. Urgency and purpose, joined together, is what it will take to tackle the most urgent issue of our time: To end the vicious cycle of fossil fuel dependency and contamination of our air, soil, and water. As a parent and as an activist, I can’t think of a more important use of my time and talents.
I also recognize that I am standing on the shoulders of giants. CFROG’s founders, board, and staff have done incredible work advocating for a fossil fuel-free future. From Ventura County recently adopting a new General Plan with the most health-conscious oil and gas setbacks in the state, to the moratorium on new drilling in the Oxnard plain, CFROG’s advocacy has brought a long list of hard-won victories. These strides have helped put Ventura County on the right track towards a more sustainable future. The collective talent and skills of the CFROG team are awe-inspiring. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from this impassioned group of activists as we continue to serve as the Central Coast’s oil and gas watchdog and advocate for a transition to a new, sustainable green economy.
I am honored to become CFROG’s new Executive Director. My work is motivated by a deep desire to heal our relationship to the natural world and one another. I hope that I can help CFROG’s strong ethic of vocal and effective environmental activism flourish in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. More than anything, leading CFROG represents an opportunity to bring stewardship of our region’s environmental resources to the forefront of our public conversation. I am deeply impassioned to do this work.
And remember, CFROG needs the continued support of our community more than ever during these unprecedented times. Help us move forward into this urgent new chapter!
Sincerely,
Liz Beall
Executive Director
Climate First: Replacing Oil & Gas (CFROG)