Our 2021 Officers and Board Members
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meet your ECSCD board members
Jessika Arman -- Chair
Michelle Johnston -- Secretary
Krista Lohr -- Vice-Chair
A true native of the area, Jessika Arman was raised on the barrier island of Siesta Key, and her family have been pioneers of Sarasota’s arts, music, education, real estate and medical fields since the 1950s.
Jessika has been a prominent figure in the real estate communities of Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties since 1998. A realtor with Premier Sotheby’s International Realty, she has been recognized by Sarasota Magazine for eight years as a Five Star Real Estate Agent, Best in Client Satisfaction.
As a member of the REALTOR® Association of Sarasota and Manatee, Jessika has been a part of the organization’s Global Business Council since 1999, and once led a trade mission to Germany.
A graduate of Emerson College in Boston, Jessika earned a Bachelor of Arts in mass communication, and went on to complete her master’s degree in international relations from Boston University. She served as an intern in the economic section of the U.S. Embassy in Berlin, Germany, and worked for the Discovery Channel as part of the International Network Operation unit responsible for the channel’s worldwide launch.
Krista Lohr -- Vice-Chair
Michelle Johnston -- Secretary
Krista Lohr -- Vice-Chair
I first came to Sarasota from Ohio in 1989. I am a graduate of Sarasota High School, received my BA degree from Florida State University, and earned a JD from New England School of Law. I currently serve as Vice Chair of the Environmental Caucus of Sarasota County Democrats, Group Chair of the Manatee Sarasota Sierra Club Group and as a Board Member of the Democratic Club of Sarasota. I was also recently a candidate and ran for Sarasota County Charter Review Board.
Please list the three major items you would like to address in the upcoming year.
Work on getting a rights of nature amendment to the city and or county charter.
Fundraise for upcoming elections in 2022 and seek out environmental champions to run for office in 2022.
Organize more projects to get members more involved (ie. Tree plantings, beach clean ups etc.)
Michelle Johnston -- Secretary
Michelle Johnston -- Secretary
Michelle Johnston -- Secretary
I spent 50 years as an educator with positions ranging from teacher to dean. After 15 years as a dean, I retired as Dean Emerita and consulted on educational technology issues until I retired again in 2020. In the nineties, I taught and consulted in almost all 50 states and seven foreign countries. Lastly, I held leadership positions on statewide and national committees for which I met with legislators, including U.S. Senators.
Please list the three major items you would like to address in the upcoming year.
From my travels, I have seen the devastating effects of climate change, over development, lack of regulations regarding water and air pollution, and environmental racism. Those would be my topics of interest.
Kathy McCabe --- Treasurer
Barbara Relles --- Communications Director
Michelle Johnston -- Secretary
For the first two years, I was the Activities Director for the ECSCD. For the past year, I have been the Treasurer and the Membership person and I'd like to continue to fill both of those roles (Treasurer & Membership).
Three major items I would like to address in the upcoming year are:
1. Our role in future elections (2022)
2. Our role in local development
3. Our role in local environmental issues, the beaches and water quality
Barbara Relles --- Communications Director
Barbara Relles --- Communications Director
Barbara Relles --- Communications Director
After a multi-decade career as a library-media specialist, my efforts have now turned toward the environment. My past experience with the Sarasota Democrats included over a decade of managing the database, Vote Builder. It included supplying precinct captains and others with needed lists of voters. Lists were supplied to access subsets of voters, such as potential volunteers and those who had not yet signed up for vote by mail. In 2019, the job of Communications Director of the Environmental Caucus became my bailiwick which included sending eblasts, creating and maintaining the ECSCD website, and being an administrator of our FaceBook page.
Three major items I would like to address in the coming year are:
1. Increase our audience.
2. Increase the information on our webpage to include political action reports of our local, state and national leaders.
3. Broaden the readership of our webpage
G. Clay Miller ------ Activist Director
Barbara Relles --- Communications Director
Barbara Relles --- Communications Director
G Clay Miller is a graduate student at the London School of Economics and Political Science, getting his MSc in public policy and administration. After obtaining his undergraduate degree from McGill University, he went to work on Capitol Hill, first as a legislative intern for former Senator Bill Nelson, and then as a staffer on the Senate Ethics Committee. After leaving the Hill, G Clay spent several years working in digital media and emerging technology before accepting a job as an organizer for Senator Elizabeth Warren’s presidential primary campaign in Iowa. Since the campaign and during his graduate studies, G Clay has consulted with multiple non-profits and activist organizations—helping them scale their volunteer bases by hundreds of people. In his free time, G Clay enjoys exercising, playing video games, and listening to electronic music!
Three major items I would like to address in the upcoming year are:
1. Improve the caucus’s digital infrastructure to more easily recruit and mobilize volunteers.
2. Expand the breadth of relationships with local environmental stakeholders, while also encouraging the growth of new activist groups and organizations.
3. Amplify the voices of community members who have been harmed by the negative effects of climate change like Red Tide.
Lisa Stortstrom ------ Activist Director
Lisa Stortstrom ------ Activist Director
Lisa Stortstrom ------ Activist Director
I would move to complete the full implementation of the Florida Forever Program at full funding.
I would move to update and expand all infrastructure and filtration of sewage and water; and
I would move to inspect yearly each automobile. Clean air and noise ordinances will be detailed for passage of each inspection.
David Evans ---- Director at Large
Lisa Stortstrom ------ Activist Director
Lisa Stortstrom ------ Activist Director
Past chair Keep Sarasota County beautiful, past pres Venice area Audubon society, ops stump pass beach space, have lived in South County for 15 years. member BOD Englewood Dem Club and volunteer at the SCD south county office
Three major items
i would like to address in the upcoming year are:
land protection, public access, developers paying their fair share.
Former Chair, Barbara Klein will remain on the board
In November of 2016, Barbara Klein was elected as the first chair of the Environmental Caucus of Sarasota County Democrats or ECSCD. She has very ably built a vibrant organization and will remain on the Board of Directors as an advisor. ECSCD accomplishments so far are delineated in the Timeline below.
ECSCD Historical Timeline
• In the beginning, Democratic organizers interested in forming an environmental caucus gathered at the Sarasota County Democratic headquarters (HQ). They met with Mary Clupper to find out how to organize an environmental caucus.
• The original 12 members of the Environmental Caucus paid dues and selected five officers.
• The group knew nothing (Environmental Caucus clueless). Still, they had a passion for educating and electing environmentally-friendly Democratic candidates to run for local, state, and federal offices.
• Sarasota County residents needed to know about the Environmental Caucus.
• Environmental Caucus members made a list of speakers, scheduled the community for events, and decided on a regular night for the monthly general meetings. While facilitating public meetings, the Environmental Caucus members gathered names for a mailing list and educated them through knowledgeable speakers. The original group of 12 rapidly grew to 30 rapidly. Concomitantly, the mailing list grew, and the Environment Caucus members learned about Sarasota County.
• In recognition of its work, other groups wanted to work with the Environmental Caucus. The first co-op was with the Woman's Club. Environmental Caucus held a "meet and greet" fundraiser meeting at Southgate Community Center for Margaret Good. She made several thousand dollars at that first event. After that success, the Environmental Caucus responded to a request to host an old fashion political picnic at Myakka State Park. Two hundred forty people attended. Over Environmental Caucus featured, candidates spoke to the entire group of participants. The venue also included tents in which the candidates could talk to individual voters. The Environmental Caucus served hamburgers, hot dogs, and vegan burgers supplemented by side dishes, which members provided.
• Environmental Caucus members knocked on many doors and influenced the Florida State Caucus to endorse Margaret Good. Ms. Good also received local endorsements. Further, the entire Florida Environmental Caucus membership donated money, canvassed, and participated in phone banks for her campaign. Consequently, Margaret Good won.
• The Environmental Caucus continued to grow by having the incredible support of both the DEC and Florida State Environmental Caucus.
• Board representation increased to match the membership growth. The Board recruited a Science Director and an Events Director.
• The goal was to identify issues to support.
• The Environmental Caucus realized it needed to connect with Democratic voters. Examples of such connections were working with Second Chances on a garden. The Environmental Caucus invested some of its revenue from membership dues in the initial garden. There were enough plants to help start a second garden for Streets of Paradise. Another example is partnering with Dr. Lisa Merritt of the Multicultural Health Institute. She explained how adverse environmental conditions affect health. The partnership led us to Environmental Caucus, focusing its attention on "Fugitive Dust." Environmental Caucus worked with the local community attending meetings, pressuring the City Environmental Department, the School Board, and the concrete companies on Myrtle Street. Environmental Caucus didn't let go until the situation was under control.
• Environmental Caucus then supported the Myrtle Street renovation to create bike lanes and sidewalks. This renovation experienced years of delay.
• Environmental Caucus continued to monitor it.
• Environmental Caucus realized that if North County had such dire issues, it also needed a South County presence.
• For six months, Environmental Caucus held two general meetings with separate speakers, one in North County and one at the HQ.
• After Environmental Caucus investigated North County's issues, Environmental Caucus added a monthly meeting in South County to share the caucus ideas and host separate speakers. Environmental Caucus was fortunate to continue having three general meetings per month for six more months. During that period, 95 people participated in the Environmental Caucus meetings each month. The membership grew to 110 members. Then, the pandemic hit, and the meetings moved to a Zoom platform.
• Environmental Caucus Environmental is working on Membership Cards with discounts to Environmentally sensitive restaurants and arranged with a group to attend Environmental Symposiums free. The membership cards had the date when their dues expired. Environmental Caucus put that project on hold through the pandemic.
• Environmental Caucus supported Doreen Dupont, the activist director, to curtail "Rolling Smoke." This event was a protest of the retrofitting of trucks to emit smoke on the protesters. Doreen crafted and presented possible legislation to a delegation of legislators, hoping that they would take it up and pass it as a law.
• Dr. Dupont also introduced the Environmental Caucus to encouraging young people to learn about environmental issues with an event at Pine View High school. She facilitated the youth program on the Bayfront to protest issues. Further, Dr. Dupont is relentless in her determination to show the Republican legislators how they neglect the environmental issues.
• Sean Patton, Science Director, facilitated park restoration and clean-out activities and provided Florida native plants to display, teach, and sell as fundraisers. Further, Sean is an incredible teacher and speaker. He encouraged Environmental Caucus members to work on"…urban agriculture, public education, and pushing for environmental candidates".
• On the 2018 election cycle, Environmental Caucus members planned and facilitated the early voter greeter table location at Fruitville Library. Environmental Caucus coined that event as "The Beach Party at the Fruitville Library." It was a resounding success. Environmental Caucus brought many Democrats out of the shadows and signed some of them up to volunteer.
• Environmental Caucus attended meetings and supported the Celery Fields issue. Environmental Caucus members worked on Becky Ayech's "Keep the Country County" fight by attending support meetings and speaking at the county commission meetings.
On December 28, 2020, the Environmental Caucus had its annual meeting and the election of officers. Environmental Caucus members will continue their excellent work in the future.