Miami Group Sierra Club
103 William Howard Taft Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45219
2023 Executive Committee Election
The Miami Group Executive Committee has nine seats. Members are elected for two-year staggered terms.
There are five open seats for the 2024-2025 Executive Committee. The candidates for ExCom this year are Chris Curran, Larry Falkin, Kathy Kugler, Barry Randall and Marilyn Wall. Candidate statements are available below.
Voting will begin November 20, and ballots must be cast before December 20, 2023.
In order to cast your vote, you will need to enter your Sierra Club member ID. You can find your eight-digit membership number on your membership card or on the mailing label of your Sierra magazine. If you received a postcard or email notice about the Executive Committee election, you will also find your member ID provided there. If you need help finding your member ID, contact the Sierra Club membership office at [email protected] or (415) 977-5653. If you have other questions, please contact the Miami Group via email [email protected].
Chris Curran
Chris Curran is a longtime Sierran who has served on both the Ohio Chapter and Miami Group Executive Committees as a strong proponent of the Club’s mission to “Explore, Enjoy and Protect.” She currently serves as vice chair of the Miami Group ExCom and as the chair of the Brent Spence Bridge working group, which is focused on minimizing the environmental impact of this major new infrastructure project. Chris supports the Outings program through the backpacking school, service outings, and outreach to local Girls Scouts. With a PhD in Environmental Health, Chris has often lent her expertise to local and state advocacy campaigns including the fight against a planned limestone mine in Anderson Township and the battle to stop the unnecessary and expensive Eastern Corridor Highway. As a faculty member at Northern Kentucky University, she is currently working with students in her Environmental Toxicology course to assess the environmental and health risks of an open air metal shredding facility in Newport, Ky. She has also mentored multiple student interns working on environmental issues in our area. She looks forward to continued service on behalf of the Miami Group and its members.
Larry Falkin
Larry has been a Sierra Club Member for more than 25 years, served as director of the City of Cincinnati’s Office of Environment and Sustainability from 2007-2020, and managed MSD’s Green Infrastructure program from 2020-2022. Now retired, Larry is pursuing his interests in outdoor activities and policy issues including sustainability, energy, waste management, and stormwater management. In addition to Sierra Club, Larry is an active volunteer with the Mill Creek Alliance, Adventure Crew, and Green Umbrella.
Kathy Kugler
Kathy Kugler has served Miami Group the past eight years on the Executive Committee, Education and Fund Raising. As an advocate for social justice, environmental activism and outdoor fun, she devotes many hours per week to Sierra Club to achieve these goals.
Barry Randall
As a Sierra Club member for many years, Barry has tried to live the Sierra Club’s motto, “Explore, Enjoy and Protect.” An avid hiker, backpacker, paddler and cyclist, he has always enjoyed Sierra Club activities. Barry became certified as a Miami Group Outings Leader in 2013 in order to encourage others to enjoy the natural world as he has, believing that those who experience the outdoors will come to love, respect and protect it. In 2018 he became the Miami Group Outings Chair, inheriting a vibrant and active group of volunteers that every week introduces new people to Sierra Club and the outdoors through a variety of activities. Most recently he has been certified as a National Outings Leader Instructor.
In addition to chairing Outings, Barry has been the Secretary of the Executive Committee for the past four years, Chair of the Miami Group Communications Committee, and is a member of the Miami Group Educational Programs Committee and the Ohio Sierra Club Communications Committee. If given the opportunity to continue to serve on the Miami Group Executive Committee, Barry will work to reinvigorate the organization by partnering with like-minded organizations both within and outside of Sierra Club.
Marilyn Wall
Over the next term, Marilyn looks forward to continuing the Miami Group’s efforts to clean up our air and water and build the group’s capacity to address these challenges. Marilyn says our planet is at a crucial point in addressing climate change. She would like to engage more people in the Sierra Club’s work. Our group continues to be a local leader in promoting environmental solutions, working for environmental justice and encouraging civic action. The Miami Group has been instrumental, for years, in electing environmental leaders, taking people to the outdoors, winning environmental victories and pushing back on efforts to undermine the decades of environmental improvements.
