The Loma Prietan
October 2001
Black Mountain Group’s
Candidates’ Statements
Candidate: Deborah Benham
Residence: Mountain View
Occupation: Speech/Language Therapist
Education: B.A., English; M.A., Speech/Language Pathology, SJSU
Statement:
Active in the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter since 1988; hike leader for Peak Climbing Section for 10 years; Chair of Peak Climbing Section, ’95; and hike leader for BMG this past year. Education, whether it be academics or conservation, is a combination of action and information.
In the John Muir tradition, I’d like to help educate folks about the wilderness by promoting hikes, providing information on ecological diversity, and fostering conservation of our wild areas.
Candidate: Shawn Britton
Residence: Santa Clara
Occupation: Staff Software Engineer
Education: A.S. Electronics
Statement:
I am a Bay Area native and have been a Sierra Club member since 1985. I have led Sierra Club hikes for 7 years. I have been a member of the
BMG ExCom for the past 6 years where I have served as the Group’s representative to the Chapter Executive Committee and Conservation Committees. I would like to continue on the Executive Committee
as part of my concern for local environmental issues. I feel I can contribute to the influence of the Sierra Club.
Candidate: Ginny Laibl
Residence: Palo Alto
Occupation: Retired/Property Management
Education: B.A. University of Minn.
Statement:
I’ve been actively involved with the Sierra Club since 1981 and have served in many capacities from Loma Prieta Chapter Chair to council delegate, San Mateo County group membership chair, Santa Cruz County group activities chair, and most recently Singleaires outings committee chair. I lead backpacks, hikes and ski trips. This year I helped with the chapter’s participation in the Human Race, and for the past two years its coordination of Coastal Clean-Up Day in San Mateo County. The groups are the grassroots of our organization and it’s important we serve this membership in the best possible way. I’d like to continue being involved in membership outreach, local conservation and environmental issues, hiking, and in efforts to continue to provide excellent programs and activities for BMG.
Candidate: Tim Sampson
Residence: San Jose
Occupation: Software Engineer
Education: BSCS University of Idaho
Statement:
Active member of BMG for 11 years. Served last 8 years as member of the BMG ExCom where I am currently representative to the chapter’s ExCom. My immediate goal is to keep the BMG operating and growing.
Candidate: Paul Worden
Residence: Palo Alto
Occupation: Physicist
Education: PhD, Stanford
Statement:
Sierra Club member since 1985; BMG ExCom since 1989; Chapter Rep. 1990-94; Black Mountain Group Chair 1995-2000. BMG activities chair, 2001-present. The Sierra Club’s main strength is in grass-roots support, which can only be activated if people learn to enjoy and use the outdoors. We can increase active support by a vigorous and varied activities program, best implemented at the group level. My goal is
to increase both the quantity and quality of member participation by having an interesting set of activities and publicizing them as much as possible.