2025 Executive Committee Elections
The 2025 Executive Committee elections will run from November 22 to December 20.
Only active due-paying members may vote in the Executive Committee elections. Elections will take place online only.
Members will receive an email from the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi with their ballot or you may use the Google Form ballot here.
If you do not know your membership status or member number, you can find it by visiting Sierra Club MyAccount, myaccount.sierraclub.org, or by contacting Member Care at member.care@sierraclub.org or (415) 977-5653.
You will find the candidates for the Hawaiʻi Chapter and its four groups below. Candidates elected this year will serve a two year term, 2025-2026.
2025 Candidates
Hawaiʻi Chapter
Laura Acasio
Laura Acasio has served the people of Hawai‘i as a former State Senator and public school teacher. She currently serves on the Hawaiʻi County Environmental Management Commission and is a member of numerous nonprofit boards, including the governing board for Ka ʻUmeke Kāʻeo Hawaiian Immersion Public Charter School and the Hui ʻOihana Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce. Many of the nonprofits she supports are grassroots organizations dedicated to making government more responsible, equitable, and effective. The Acasio ʻohana, which includes Laura’s husband Lynold and their two sons, is well known throughout Hawaiʻi Island for the countless volunteer hours they devote to community service, values-based civic engagement, and advocacy. In her spare time Laura enjoys surfing, dancing, and great conversations over a home-cooked meal.
Tiare Ka’ōlelopono
Tiare Ka’ōlelopono, a cultural leader and community advocate, brings over 20 years of experience in program management, curriculum development, and grassroots organizing. She recently served as Cultural Curriculum & Program Manager at Wisdom Circles Oceania, leading initiatives rooted in Hawaiian values. Tiare’s expertise in grant writing, nonprofit operations, and public policy fuels her passion for empowering communities through education and civic engagement. Her volunteer work with Waiheʻe Poi Farms and involvement with master kalo farmers through ʻOnipaʻa Nā Hui Kalo reflect her commitment to ʻāina stewardship and food sovereignty. She champions sustainable, inclusive policies grounded in mālama ʻāina and aloha ʻāina.
Dr. Aya H. Kimura
Aya H. Kimura is a Professor of Sociology and Director of the University of Hawaiʻi Center on Sustainability Across the Curriculum. She has an MA in Environmental Studies (Yale) and Ph.D. in Sociology (University of Wisconsin-Madison). Her books include Radiation Brain Moms and Citizen Scientists: The Gender Politics of Food Contamination after Fukushima (Duke University Press: recipient of the Rachel Carson Book Award from the Society for Social Studies of Science) and Hidden Hunger: Gender and Politics of Smarter Foods (Cornell University Press: recipient of the Outstanding Scholarly Award from the Rural Sociological Society).
Hawaiʻi Island Group
Photo: Ke Ola Magazine
Maka Gallinger
Maka is a Native Hawaiian advocate, activist, singer-songwriter, recording artist and accomplished performer on the Island of Hawaiʻi. Known for her unique ʻukulele play style, versatility and powerful voice, Maka continues to create music that is true to who she is.
Surrounded by a musical family, Maka discovered a love for music at a young age and began writing her own music at 12. She released her first album "It's a Beautiful Life" in 2010 and has been performing and writing ever since.
As a full-time mother of four, homeschooling and living off grid, her family and faith in God has shaped who she is as a person. Her lifestyle fuels her message and music for the world today as she shares songs of personal trials, hope, love and faith.
Maka and her ohana have had the honor of serving the communities across Hawaiʻi through her music program "He Makana Aloha." The program's mission is to provide free music education, instruments and community concerts to areas that have limited access or exposure otherwise. Maka and her team has been a part of ongoing efforts in Lahaina since the fires and has hosted multiple music camps and concerts in Lahaina, Hāna, Molokaʻi and South Kona.
Hannah Hartmann
My name is Hannah Hartmann and I am a settler with the privilege of calling Hilo, Kānaka maoli homelands, my home. I am currently pursuing my M.S. in Tropical Conservation Biology here at University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, and my undergraduate work from Humboldt State University (Wiyot homelands) is in Ecological Restoration, Wildland Soil Science, Fire Ecology, and Geospatial Analysis. I am also a Mycorestoration Ecologist, so I work with fungi to remediate soil and water from environmental pollutants. While much of my formal training is in western scientific disciplines, I have become increasingly involved in political and social advocacy here on Hawaiʻi Island. I am currently working with the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi on the Shut Down Red Hill campaign, and serve on the core and communications committee for HuliPAC, a political organization with the goal of empowering our local community to elect pono leaders who inspire environmental, social, and economic well being for the ʻāina and the people. I strongly believe in making and holding space to uplift the voices of my community, and thatʻs exactly what I plan to do if elected to the board of the Sierra Club Hawaiʻi. May we all strive to live in reciprocity with one another, because healing the ʻāina is healing ourselves.
Steve Holmes
Steve Holmes has a long history of involvement in Clean Water Act issues in Hawaiʻi. In the late 80’s, he successfully sued Hawaiʻi County over the non-functioning Hilo Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) in Keaukaha. Working with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), he got the county to build a new plant outside the tsunami inundation area. He led efforts as Regional Vice President of the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi to oppose special legislation to exempt the sugar industry from cane wash dumping from Clean Water Act requirements that lead to an end of this practice. Working with Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi and Hawaiʻi’s Thousand Friends, he brought a federal lawsuit against the City & County of Honolulu over wastewater violations at the Sand Island Wastewater Treatment Plants that was later amended to the 2010 Global Consent Decree including $3.5 billion in mandated projects. He continues to participate in annual update meetings.
Steve was Sierra Club Conservation Chair when litigation was brought against Maui County over the Illegal use of injection wells at the Lahaina WWTP that ended after going up to the US Supreme Court and back down to US District Court on remand where Judge Susan Mollway ruled against Maui County. Steve recently worked to get Hawaiʻi County to end similar illegal dumping at the Kealakehe WWTP in Kona which discharges to a hole in the ground where groundwater conveys flows to impaired coastal waters. The plaintiff ended up being Hui Malama Honokohau and the matter is still awaiting settlement.
Steve has also been active with EPA on several administrative orders of consent including the recent Countywide AOC to address wastewater system failures. The County has approved the settlement which will require adoption of a wastewater fund with a financial plan to provide sustainable funding to prevent the current mess from happening again. The Hilo WWTP and two smaller plants will require total replacement, miles of collection pipes will need to be rehabilitated, pump stations upgraded, and thousands of homes on cesspools will need to be connected in service areas islandwide.
Steve worked as a field geologist and Park Ranger at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. He served on the Honolulu City Council for 12 years and was the Energy & Sustainability Coordinator for Honolulu. As a US Department of Energy National Champion, he has traveled around the country working with local governments on energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. He has numerous national awards. He is now retired and living in the Keauhou Resort area with his wife Carol.
Photo: Big Island Video News
Jon Olson
I grew up in California, hiking the Sierras every summer. After a couple of years of college, I worked in the family business, building and repairing boats, and piloting them to various destinations. I piloted my sailboat to Hawaiʻi in the mid-1970s…and never left. I’m a past commander and current member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary and teach boating safety. I served on the Puna Traffic Safety Council, the Puna Community Development Plan group, the Environmental Management Commission, and the Integrated Resource Planning group (dealt with power generation). I’ve been an active member of the Sierra Club for 25 years or so.
Maui Group
Clare Apana
Clare is a native of Wailuku, Maui, and is a cultural practitioner and teacher who is deeply involved with cultural preservation issues throughout Maui. Clare received the Sierra Club’s Onipa‘a Award in 2013 for her long dedication to research and advocacy to protect Maui’s traditional cultural landscapes and burial areas. She also serves as President of Mālama Kakanilua, a Kānaka Maoli group dedicated to preservation of iwi kupuna (traditional Hawaiian burials.)
Lucienne de Naie
Lucienne de Naie is a long-time Club member who currently serves as Chair of the Sierra Club Maui Group. She is a researcher and writer whose passion is protection of native plants, streams, watersheds, and cultural sites. Lucienne is also one of Maui Group’s longest serving hike leaders.
Rich Lucas
Rich is a retired attorney who lives in Haʻikū and has helped assist Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi and other organizations over the years. He is interested in energy policy, water policy and historic preservation. Rich also serves on the board of the Aloha in Action nonprofit.
Gary Savage
Gary is a life-long Sierra Club member, inspired by John Muir's writings in high school and his activist parents. He describes himself as: “Artist, Hippie, Amateur Naturalist, Radical environmentalist, Vegan, Waterman, Lover of Wilderness Adventures.” Gary fell in love with the Hawaiian Islands on his first visit in 1966 and moved to Maui permanently in 1999. Gary has served as Vice-Chair of Maui Group. Gary has contributed his amazing artwork to Maui Group efforts over the years.
Dr. Diane Shepherd
Diane is a small animal veterinarian and long-time environmental advocate. Her family settled in Oʻahu in the 1960’s and she graduated from Punahou School. Diane has lived in South Maui for forty years and has chaired the Sierra Club Maui Group board in the past. She currently serves as Maui Group Secretary. An avid snorkeler, Diane has been involved for many years in efforts to protect Maui’s coastal areas and hopes to expand the Club’s educational efforts on upslope flooding solutions to help our oceans and reefs.
Oʻahu Group
Kiara Bacasen
Aloha! My name is Kiara Bacasen, a lifelong advocate for the development of healthy, sustainable, and just relationships between humans and the natural systems we rely on. My approach to this work is shaped by my experiences as a community organizer, my formal education in sustainability science and design, and the wealth of wisdom regarding holistic sustainable systems being practiced right here in Hawai‘i and by indigenous communities across the world. While I retain interests in many interrelated fields, my current work as an on-call chef at Roots Cafe and on the sales and marketing team for the Hawai‘i ‘Ulu Cooperative allows me to focus on Hawaiʻi’s food systems, highlighting the importance of the relationships between people and with ‘āina while bringing in my own unique background to the solutions we put forth.
Camile Cleveland
Camile is a Senior Manager at Hua Nani Partners, a Hawaiʻi-based consulting firm, where she works with public, private, and nonprofit clients to advance climate policies and clean energy solutions both in Hawaiʻi and across the US. Previously, she served as the volunteer Policy Coordinator and Executive Committee member for Surfrider Foundation’s Oʻahu Chapter. Camile holds a BSE in Mechanical Engineering and a certificate in Aerospace Engineering from Duke University. Camile is a proud Kaimukī resident and enjoys freediving, hiking, and crafting in her free time.
Honuʻāina Nichols
Honuʻāina Nichols (they/she/ʻoia) currently residing in Hālawa, ‘ohana is from ‘Aiea and Wailupe. A recent UCSB graduate in Political Science and community organizer with the UCDivestTMT Campaign. They are a kiaʻi wai and alpha ‘āina. Honuʻāina spends her days working as the Climate Champion and Education Coordinator at Mālama Loko Ea fishpond in Hāleʻiwa. Additionally, she is a part time paralegal intake at the Legal Aid Society of Hawaiʻi and taking her LSAT in January. They have recently connected deeper with Kanaloa with the assistance of Kuleana Coral Restoration’s Coral Occupational Application and Scientific Techniques program.
Dr. Lelemia Irvine
Dr. Lelemia Irvine (he/him) is kanaka ʻōiwi (Hawaiian), a lineal descendant from the aboriginal families that sprouted out of the islands of Hawaiʻi. He earned his BS and MS degrees in Biological Engineering, and MS and PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Dr. Irvine is the first appointed Physics faculty at the University of Hawaiʻi—West Oʻahu. In general, his research involves Water—Indigenous Knowledge—STEM education nexus.
Marti Townsend
Marti’s mission is to build a movement to reverse the climate crisis. She is currently the Regional Engagement Specialist at Earthjustice and in her previous posts as the director for the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi, The Outdoor Circle, KAHEA: The Hawaiian Environmental Alliance, and the Hawaiʻi State Capitol, she has been instrumental in establishing Hawaiʻi’s Environmental Court, protecting Mauna Kea’s conservation district from overdevelopment, establishing the Papahānaumokuakea Marine National Monument (and Northwestern Hawaiian Islands State Refuge), combating environmental racism and much more. She is a graduate of University of Hawaiʻi’s William S. Richardson School of Law, Boston University, and Moanalua High School. She is married with three kids. As a result, she has the patience of a saint, a knack for fixing broken things, and extreme sleep deprivation. Marti loves her job, but can’t wait for the world to be saved so she can kick-off her dream career as a stand-up comic.
Kauaʻi Group
Steve Parsons
Fighting climate change is personal for me! I’m a disabled veteran from the Gulf War and lived in the burning oil fields of Kuwait. I also fight for my two daughters, family, friends, and the next generation and to slow the destruction of ʻāina that is occurring all over the Hawaiian Islands!
My activism includes KCAC (Kauaʻi Climate Action Coalition Lead), Kauaʻi EV Lead, Surfrider Foundation (outreach team), and I’m currently running for KIUC's (Kauai Island Utility Coop) Board of Directors election. Along with these groups, I have testified for years to KIUC, Kauaʻi County Council and the state on many issues including accelerating EV adoption in their fleets, accelerating deployment of EV charging stations. This type of action was targeted to help renters/garage-orphans have a place to charge and save money.
Within my real estate profession, I’ve maintained my National Association of Realtors' Green Designation since 2020. Furthermore, I serve on the Kauaʻi Board of Realtors' GAC (Government Affairs Committee) and launched a GREAT (Green Real Estate Action Team) subcommittee. GREAT is educating other real estate professionals on the benefits and cost savings of electrification of homes, businesses and transportation!
If you want a passionate, informed person to fight for you, please, vote for me! Many of the solutions I encourage, actually save people, businesses and government money! At the same time creating good local green jobs and stopping the major outflow of money to mainland companies and investors. Mahalo for voting to elect me to the Sierra Club's ExCom. I’m ready to fight for you! IMUA.
Rayne Regush
Rayne has served on the Group ExCom since 2004 and as Chapter Group Rep for five years. Passionate about preserving Kauai’s rural character, waters and cultural resources, her grasp of state/county environmental regulations has contributed to many successful outcomes including: the denial of Coco Palms permits for a commercial fitness center/spa in the Open District; a legal appeal of the state’s certified shoreline at Waipouli Beach Resort resulting in an 80-100’ wide lateral public access area; a contested case hearing which increased the coastal setback of the County Bike Path at Coconut Plantation Resort; and leading the Group’s effort to oppose Hokua Place’s petition to the LUC to upzone 96-acres of Ag-land to Urban. Rayne also serves on the State Nā Ala Hele Kauaʻi Advisory Council to help preserve traditional/customary trails.