FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Veronica Avila, veronica@fcpcommunications.com, 661-805-8462
SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, California Environmental Voters and the California Environmental Voters Education Fund announced a slate of new appointments to their respective Boards.
The new appointments to the EnviroVoters Ed Fund Board include: California State Senator Connie M. Leyva; Norman Rogers, Second Vice President of United Steelworkers, Local 675; and Raúl Macías, Democracy Program Director at the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund. Brigid McCormack, Founder and CEO of Spindrift Advisors, will join the EnviroVoters Board.
“We are thrilled to welcome these innovative leaders to our Boards,” said Mary Creasman, CEO of California Environmental Voters. “Their expertise in state climate policy and philanthropy and advocating for worker’s rights and voting rights will be invaluable. We’re eager to work together for bold climate action, including protecting clean air and clean water and advancing climate justice for all Californians.”
EnviroVoters Ed Fund Welcomes California State Senator Connie Leyva, Norman Rogers, and Raúl Macías to the Board of Directors:
The EnviroVoters Ed Fund fights for equity and justice for all Californians, from voting rights to clean air and water. Since 1996, the organization has worked to make government, policy, and voting accessible by conducting public opinion research, shaping the public narrative, organizing with allies and local communities, and educating legislators on pressing environmental issues.
“I am honored to join the EnviroVoters Ed Fund Board of Directors,” said California State Senator Connie M. Leyva. “Their groundbreaking research to understand how Californians think and feel about environmental issues and climate change is helping to shape conversations in Sacramento and beyond. I look forward to continuing this important work with the Ed Fund.”
Senator Leyva brings a long-standing track record on climate and environmental issues to the EnviroVoters Ed Fund Board. Since being elected in 2014, Senator Leyva has authored important legislation signed into law that reduced pollution for heavy-duty trucks, increased funding for zero-emission vehicles, maximized climate investments in low-income communities, and more. The Senator is committed to improving California’s schools, environment and communities, and creating quality jobs. Senator Leyva currently serves on the California Air Resources Board. She was also elected in 2004 as the first woman President of the California Labor Federation, representing more than 2.1 million workers throughout the state.
Norman Rogers is the Second Vice President of United Steelworkers, Local 675, an amalgamated union representing workers in the oil, chemical, bedding, carwash, paper, and electric bus manufacturing industries. He is deeply engaged in the union’s efforts to innovate new opportunities for their members in the clean energy future. He has been active on multiple committees in his Local, including health and safety and contract negotiations. Following the Chevron refinery fire in 2012, Norman provided testimony to the Department of Industrial Relations on the importance of strengthening safety measures in coalition with environmental organizations. He currently works in storage and handling at the Marathon oil refinery in Los Angeles County.
“EnviroVoters Ed Fund recognizes that real and lasting change starts in local communities and grows from there,” said Norman Rogers, Second Vice President of United Steelworkers, Local 675. “I’m proud to be a part of their efforts to build power in the parts of California that are most impacted by the climate crisis. When we organize we can realize positive change.”
Raúl Macías is the Democracy Program Director at the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund. In 2020, the EnviroVoters Ed Fund partnered with Raúl to expand in-person voting options and provide mail-in ballots to every registered voter in California at a time when the pandemic threatened our democracy and voter turnout. Raul started his career as an advocate for long-term care residents and a consumer health advocate. He subsequently worked on research with the California Budget and Policy Center, with a focus on state policy and how it affects working families. Over the past decade, he has helped lead voting rights and democracy reform efforts for the Brennan Center for Justice and the ACLU of California. In these positions, he played a leadership role in advancing legislation, litigation, and advocacy to make voting and registration more equitable.
“EnviroVoters Ed Fund’s work to make civic participation and voting more accessible is critical in the fight against climate change – especially for underserved communities carrying the brunt of this crisis,” said Raúl Macías, Democracy Program Director at the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund. “This organization has championed historic reforms to date, including fighting for vote by mail to become permanent and making voting centers more accessible to everyone. I’m looking forward to continuing this important work together.”
EnviroVoters Welcomes Brigid McCormack to the Board of Directors:
EnviroVoters is focused on building the political power to solve the climate crisis, advancing justice, and creating a roadmap for global action. EnviroVoters elects and cultivates environmental champions, turns election victories into policy wins, holds our lawmakers accountable, pushes climate solutions to the forefront of public discourse, and builds political power to achieve climate justice.
Brigid McCormack is the Founder and CEO of Spindrift Advisors. For the past 24 years, Brigid has worked inside mission-driven organizations helping to promote policy solutions to address the climate crisis and save wild spaces for both people and birds. Brigid previously served as Deputy Director for Tempest Advisors. In this role, she advised and directed philanthropic giving strategies for donors. In other roles, Brigid served as the Executive Director of Audubon California, Vice President for the Pacific Flyway, and as Vice President of External Relationships of ClimateWorks Foundation.
“EnviroVoters recognizes that we need transformational change to address the climate crisis,” said Brigid McCormack, CEO of Spindrift Advisors. “From electing environmental champions to advocating for bold climate policy, EnviroVoters is shaping the future of our state in a way that will benefit Californians – and the nation – for years to come. I’m eager to be a part of this important work.”
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