Meet the Team!

Scheleen Walker, Chapter Director. Before her appointment as Chapter Director, Scheleen served as Legislative Director to Representative Donna Howard since 2006. Prior to working at the Legislature, Walker managed the Air Quality Program for Travis County. She was regarded as a regional leader in the adoption of a ground-breaking public planning program under the Clean Air Act that resulted in significant, voluntary reductions in air pollution (ozone) in the five-county region sooner than any nonattainment designation could have mandated. Walker earned a M.S. in Environmental Planning from the University of Texas at Austin, and a B.A. in English and Policy Studies from Rice University. In between, Walker served as a Legislative Aide in Washington, D.C. to Congressman John Bryant (Dallas) for nine years. She has also worked in the private sector as a project manager on National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews throughout Texas.  Walker is a fifth generation Texan who grew up in Dallas while spending summers staying and playing outdoors with her many cousins and grandparents strewn throughout Central and Northwest Texas. She has lived in Austin since 1996, and has a 10-year old son.

Dr. Ken Kramer, Former Chapter Director, Water Resources Chair. Ken has a Ph.D. in Political Science from Rice University and his special area of interest during his academic career teaching and conducting research at Texas state universities was environmental policy and administration. He has 25 years of experience working on water and other environmental issues as an academic, an environmental group leader, and public policy specialist. He has been appointed to numerous task forces and advisory committees by Texas state officials, including the Governor of Texas and the Speaker of the Texas House.

Cyrus Reed, Conservation Director:   Cyrus has a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Texas at Austin, with a focus on water policy and the dispute over the Rio Grande water with Mexico. Prior to becoming conservation director, he served as Sierra Club’s lobbyist on energy and air quality issues during the 2005 and 2007 legislative sessions, and also directed the Texas Center for Policy Studies, an environmental policy and advocacy organization based in Austin, for five years. He is presently working on energy issues and their impacts. Cyrus has also worked as a journalist and has spent considerable time in Mexico, Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

Jennifer Walker is Water Resources Specialist for the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club.  Jennifer works primarily on the Texas Living Waters Project and focuses on water policy issues across the state with an emphasis state and regional water planning, water conservation and bay and estuary protection issues.  Walker serves as an environmental representative on the Lower Colorado Regional Water Planning Group where she works to assure that water is available for both people and wildlife.  She is the Vice-Chair of the City of Austin’s Citizens Water Conservation Implementation Task Force.   She has a BS in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology from the University of Texas at Austin.

Communication Coordinator: Open

Kari Banta is the  Transportation Associate
for the Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter. Kari works on promoting active transportation and transit use.

Jerome Collins, Administrative Assistant: Jerome’s responsibilities include administrative and general office duties, assistance in coordinating chapter activities and meetings, interaction with volunteers, assistance in the publication and distribution of chapter newsletters and other publications, and response to inquiries from members, volunteers, and the general public. The administrative assistant position has become a vital one for the smooth functioning of the Chapter office. Jerome brings considerable administrative to this position experience in facilities management supervising volunteers, trail maintenance teams, newsletter production and managing operations budgets.

Oliver Bernstein, Senior Communications Strategist, Austin

Andy Wilson, Online Organizer

Eva Hernandez, Coal Campaign Regional Representative: Eva’s responsibilities include grassroots organizing, assistance in coordinating coal campaign activities and meetings, interaction with volunteers, assistance in publication and distribution to news media, and response to inquiries from members, volunteers, and the general public.

Lydia Avila, Conservation Organizer Lydia’s responsibilities include grassroots organizing, assistance in coordinating coal campaign activities and meetings, interaction with volunteers, assistance in publication and distribution to news media, and response to inquiries from members, volunteers, and the general public. She is also developing the internship program statewide.

Flavia de la Fuente, Conservation Organizer, Geoflex: Flavia’s responsibilities include grassroots organizing, assistance in coordinating coal campaign activities and meetings, interaction with volunteers, assistance in publication and distribution to news media, and response to inquiries from members, volunteers, and the general public.