CEC Expands Capacity for Critical Climate Programs Work With New Staff & Board Member
SANTA BARBARA — The Community Environmental Council (CEC) welcomed three new staff members and one new board member to its growing roster, as the organization continues to grow rapidly and deepen its capacity to respond regionally to the global climate crisis.
Returning to CEC’s Board of Directors as of July 1 is David N. Pellow, Dehlsen Chair and Professor of Environmental Studies and Director of the Global Environmental Justice Project at the University of California, Santa Barbara. See bio below. CEC’s Board of Directors is composed of 17 community leaders with a diverse breadth of experience in business management, non-profit governance and financial oversight, providing strong direction and leadership to help CEC fulfill its mission.
Pellow was enthusiastic about re-joining the board to help CEC continue to turn inspiration into practical solutions to the climate crisis.
“CEC is by far our region’s most effective advocate for building a resilient, equitable, just, verdant, sustainable, and thriving multispecies community, hands down,” he said.
The Community Environmental Council also welcomed three new staff members in recent months. These individuals bring a diversity of knowledge and local experience, building CEC’s capacity to go all-in together on halting the climate crisis — rapidly and equitably. New staff include:
Gabriela Morales, Climate Justice Fellow
Cristina Czochanski, Climate Programs Associate
Dominique Aranda, Climate Programs Associate
Find bios for all of CEC’s staff here.
About Returning Board Member David N. Pellow
Dr. David N. Pellow is the Dehlsen Chair and Professor of Environmental Studies and Director of the Global Environmental Justice Project at the University of California, Santa Barbara where he teaches courses on social change movements, environmental justice, human-animal conflicts, sustainability, and social inequality. Along with publishing a number of works on environmental justice issues, he has also consulted for and served on the Boards of Directors of several community-based, national, and international organizations that are dedicated to improving the living and working environments for people of color, immigrants, indigenous peoples, and working-class communities. He earned his B.A. in Sociology and Religious Studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 1992, and went on to earn his M.A. and Ph.D in Sociology from Northwestern University in 1998. Originally from Nashville, he and his family have lived in Santa Barbara since 2015 and deeply enjoy hiking in the area.
Visit www.cecsb.org to see full membership lists and bios for Board of Directors,Partnership Council, President’s Council, and CEC staff.
About the Community Environmental Council (CEC)
CEC advances rapid and equitable solutions to the climate crisis – including ambitious zero carbon goals, drawdown of excess carbon, and protection against the impacts of climate change. CEC was recognized as a 2020 California Nonprofit of the Year and a City of Santa Barbara Climate Hero, and is led by CEO Sigrid Wright who was recently named 2022 Congressional Woman of the Year. CEC has worked since 1970 to incubate and innovate real life environmental solutions that directly affect the California Central Coast. Our programs lead to clean vehicles, solar energy, resilient food systems and reduction of single-use plastic. Learn more about the work of CEC and why it receives high ratings from both Charity Navigator and Guidestar at CECSB.org/impact.
Find CEC on the web at CECSB.org and on Facebook.com/CECSB, Instagram.com/CEC_SB, Twitter.com/CECSB, and Linkedin.com/company/cecsb