2026 Executive Committee Elections
The 2026 Executive Committee elections will run from November 17 to December 19.
Only active due-paying members may vote in the Executive Committee elections. Elections will take place online only.
Members should have received an email from the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi with their ballot on November 17. You can also cast your vote 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, 2026-2027.
2026 Candidates
Hawaiʻi Chapter (Statewide)
Sean Aronson
Sean is an attorney working for the State Legislature as an advisor to the Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee. Born on Maui, Sean spent much of his youth on the continent before returning to O‘ahu in 2008. Sean and his wife Abbey are fortunate to be living in Palolo and he is privileged to serve on the neighborhood board. He enjoys hiking and traveling.
Nanea Lo
Nanea serves on the Executive Committee of the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi and is dedicated to uplifting ʻŌiwi voices and protecting Hawaiʻi’s people, lands, and waters. With over a decade of experience in community engagement, Indigenous storytelling, and nonprofit leadership, she has worked with organizations such as Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Native Stories, and the Hawaiʻi Alliance for Progressive Action. Nanea’s work centers on ea, aloha ʻāina, cultural preservation, and building community power for a more just and sustainable Hawaiʻi.
Kaikea Nakachi
Born and raised on Hawaiʻi Island, Kaikea completed his master’s at University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo after graduating Magna Cum Laude from Florida Institute of Technology with a degree in Biological Oceanography. His thesis focused on his family’s practice of kahu manō and non-invasive photo-ID of tiger sharks. His passion for ocean stewardship is evident in his work with the Kaʻūpūlehu Marine Life Advisory Council, Hui Aloha Kīholo, and in the founding of Mālama Manō and Hui Kahuwai. He seeks to continue to aid Hawaiʻi and its biocultural resources however he can to continue his moʻokūʻauhau rooted in aloha.
Letani Peltier
Letani is from Heʻeia, Oʻahu. He is a proud graduate of Castle High School and holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of Puget Sound, a master's degree in economics from Portland State University as well as a Juris Doctorate and Certificate in Native Hawaiian Law from the William S. Richardson School of Law. Letani currently serves as chief of staff for City Councilmember Matt Weyer. Growing up, Letani spent a lot of time hiking in the mountains, playing on the beaches, and fishing in the ocean. Through these experiences, he developed a deep appreciation for how blessed he is to call Hawaiʻi home.
Jodi Robinson
Jodi is a policy and advocacy leader with over a decade of experience advancing environmental and social justice across Hawai‘i. From 2016 to 2020, she served as O‘ahu Group Coordinator and later as Chapter Policy Advocate for the Sierra Club of Hawai‘i, leading grassroots campaigns, engaging volunteers, and lobbying on environmental issues at the county and state levels. She went on to serve as a Policy Analyst at Blue Planet Foundation and now as Policy Director for the Hawai‘i Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations (HANO). Born on Kaua‘i and raised on O‘ahu, Jodi is passionate about fostering community-led movement building for systemic change and strengthening Sierra Club’s impact throughout the pae ʻāina.
Hawaiʻi Island Group
Kara Dumaguin
Janine "Kara" Dumaguin currently serves on the Hawaiʻi Island Group (HIG) ExCom and is currently chair of HIG's Conservation Committee. She is also the Director of Community Relations for the Canada-France-Hawaiʻi Telescope, where she helps strengthen community voice and cultural stewardship across CFHT's work on Maunakea, throughout Hawaiʻi Island, and in communities across the pae ʻāina. Raised in Kaʻawaloa with deep ties to Keʻei, family roots in Kaʻūpūlehu, and generational Kaitiaki lineage in Aotearoa, Kara brings a lifelong commitment to protecting ʻāina, wai, and native ecosystems. She serves with Hui Kahuwai and the Kaʻūpūlehu Marine Life Advisory Committee, advancing efforts to restore coastal health, support sustainable fisheries, and elevate community-led conservation in West Hawaiʻi. Kara is dedicated to building a resilient, abundant future for island communities. Photo: Ke Ola Magazine.
Chuck Flaherty
Chuck Flaherty is currently chair of the Hawaiʻi Island Group ExCom. A retired Certified Public Accountant, also serves on the Hawaiʻi Island Nā Ala Hele Advisory Council and is chair of the Kona Hawaiian Civic Club Government Relations Committee. Chuck studied Hawaiian healing with Margaret Machado, Mona Kahele, and others kumu kupuna. He was a plaintiff in the Hokuliʻa litigation, which led to a Hawaiʻi Supreme Court finding that Hawaiʻi County has an "affirmative duty" to protect nearshore marine waters, and has been part of many other community actions to protect Hawaiʻi’s environmental and cultural resources for many years.
Emily Garland
Emily Garland is a lifelong environmentalist—passionate about living simply and sustainably. As a 2017-2019 Hawai'i Island Group Executive Committee member, Emily managed the group newsletter and facilitated community events. Emily is an elementary special education teacher and writer. She has served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Cambodia, written for newspapers and magazines, and managed grants for several environmental nonprofits. Emily is excited about the opportunity to rekindle her activism with Hawaiʻi Island Group ExCom.
Kencho Gurung
Kencho Gurung currently serves as a member of the Hawaiʻi Island Group (HIG) ExCom and is also HIG's Membership and Political Committee Chairs. She grew up predominantly in South and Southeast Asia and belongs to a tribe Indigenous to the Himalayas. She now lives in Hilo, where she tries to grow as much of her own food as possible. Since childhood, Kencho has been a fierce advocate for equality and justice for BIPOC people and for the climate. She currently works at Hawaiʻi Alliance for Progressive Action, and is a Kuleana Academy graduate. She hopes to contribute to intersectional environmentalism in Hawaiʻi and hopes to live to see a free Hawaiʻi and a free Palestine.
Brent Magstadt
Brent is a new Sierra Club member, but has been an advocate of unbroken wilderness since he first began fly fishing in Montana in the early 70's. With his background in Geography (GIS systems), Brent has mapped mining tailings outwashes at superfund sites, monitored riparian areas, and supported GIS software from a developer perspective. He has done mapping stints at start ups, Microsoft, and recently as a contractor for a geo-centric health care application on Maui, through the US Dept. of Defense. Throughout it all, Brent has been outspoken in his love for, and defense of, our wild places. He's testified at HI County meetings, and supplied written testimony on numerous occasions in efforts to retain some aspect of 'wild' here in the islands. Brent is also an accomplished musician and composer, with his last record nominated for best instrumental release in the 2020 Na Hoku Hanohano awards here in Hawaiʻi. In the last few years, Brent has felt the pull of community service. That, coupled with the continued debasement of our Islands for corporate gain, has led him to this point of reaching out and getting involved. It's time to make a difference.
Cindi Punihaole
Cindi Punihaole currently serves as a member of the Hawaiʻi Island Group ExCom. She is also the Director of the Kahaluʻu Bay Education Center (KBEC), a program of The Kohala Center; home to rich historical, cultural, and environmental treasures. Cindi's work to preserve Kahaluʻu Bay and protect it against heavy visitor and wastewater pressures is featured in the Emmy-nominated film 'Keeper of the Bay'. The film highlights her efforts to blend Hawaiian cultural practices with scientific data to foster marine conservation." Ms. Punihaole also initiated the first cauliflower coral spawning closure at Kahalu‘u in 2018, a reef rejuvenation strategy that has continued in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. This successful project is embraced by the community and serves as a model for other bays around the island. In 2021 State Parks at Waialea Bay on Hawai‘i Island followed Kahaluʻu’s lead by commencing its first cauliflower coral closure days.
Maui Group
Alexa Lombardo-Reinsch
Alexa has deep Maui roots, through her grandparents who were born and raised on Maui, and still live in Kula Kai (Kīhei). Like many descendents of the diaspora, she grew up in California. She is a graduate of Cal Poly Humboldt with a BS degree in Parks, Recreation, Leisure, Fitness, and Kinesiology. Alexa works for a non-profit educating the public about healthy exercise options. She is passionate about service outings, creating trails and advocating for public trail access for everyone. She was appointed to a vacancy on the Maui Group board in early 2025 and currently serves as Group Secretary.
Rich Lucas
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.
Jeanie Stewart
Jeanie is a life member of the Sierra Club who served as the first chair of the Delaware Chapter in the 1990’s. She teaches at Kulanihakoʻi High School in Kula Kai (Kīhei) and has a passion for outdoor education, hiking and protecting our native plants and animals. Jeanie has served as Treasurer of Maui Group in the past.
Scott Werden
Scott has a Phd in geophysics, and spent many years working in the field of software design. Currently a Haʻikū resident with a small farm, Scott spends his time working on environmental issues here on Maui and is passionate about restoring stream flows, forests and ecosystems. Scott currently serves on the Sierra Club’s Hawaiʻi Chapter’s State Litigation Review Committee as well as the East Maui Community Water Authority stakeholders group. He reviews many environmental documents for the Maui Group and created the very useful WikiWai website (wikiwai.org) to help provide the public with a wide range of educational and background materials on East Maui water decisions.
Oʻahu Group
Adele Balderston
Adele Balderston is a geographer, urban planner, and artist from Ko‘olaupoko, currently pursuing a J.D. at William S. Richardson School of Law. She holds an MA in geography and GIS from Hunter College (CUNY) and a BA in new media communication studies from New York University. In 2014 she created 88 Block Walks, an ongoing series of walking tours that use multimedia storytelling to share diverse place knowledge and cultivate urban aloha ‘āina. She previously served on Honolulu Neighborhood Boards 10 (Makiki, 2017) and 14 (Liliha/Alewa/Pu‘unui, 2021) and as Vice Chair of the Sierra Club O‘ahu Group Executive Committee in 2022. Adele lives in Pu‘unui with her cats, Borges and Flula.
Angela Huntemer
Serving on Sea Shepherd ships around the world, hiking and freediving in Hawaii for the past thirty years have galvanized Angela’s commitment to biodiversity. Degrees in psychology and education and twenty years of Elementary teaching have provided her with tools and connections to effect change. Through place-based education and as an environmental activist, she has worked proactively with community from school kids to NGOs, corporations and government to protect habitat at Turtle Bay, Waialeʻe, Pupukea-Waimea MLCD, and other areas on the Koʻolauloa-North Shore. Angela brings North Shore to the table and loves the opportunity to study issues in depth.
Karen Shishido
Karen was raised in Leeward O‘ahu and spent several years on the continent for college, teaching in Japan, volunteering for an NGO, and pursuing a master’s in energy and environmental policy. She is currently a project manager for Hawai‘i Energy, a ratepayer efficiency program, where she manages clean energy workforce training, K-12 education, and advancement of Hawaiʻi’s energy conservation code. She is a passionate advocate for social justice and the environment. Prior volunteer board service includes Sierra Club O‘ahu Group (Secretary and co-editor of Mālama), Kanu Hawai‘i, Common Cause Hawai‘i, Shifted Energy and currently the Hawai‘i Alliance for Progressive Action (HAPA).
Kauaʻi Group
Judy Dalton
Judy has served on the Kaua‘i Group Executive Committee for 30 years. She facilitated blocking the construction of a 3.5-mile long beach-destroying seawall fronting the Wailua Golf Course in 1996. She initiated the formation of Mālama Māhā‘ulepū in 1999; and succeeded in legally challenging the Planning Commission to increase coastal setbacks for the Kealia Kai subdivision at Kuna Bay (Donkey Beach). Recently, Judy was a key player in the legal action to stop the high-density Hokua Place development when they sought to amend the Land Use District Boundary of 97-acres of Agricultural District land to Urban District.
David Dinner
David has had a deep connection to nature and conservation throughout his life and being a member of the Excom has deepened that experience over the years. He has served on the board of many community groups including 1,000 Friends of Kaua‘i and Rotary. Recently, he is part of a group working to shift the context of aging from “old" to “elder" to restore the value our society places on wisdom. And, he is expanding his writing to include poetry, and the exploration of how our understanding of the environment can be enhanced to retain the pristine beauty of Kaua’i.