Community Environmental Council Welcomes New Members to Partnership Council

The Community Environmental Council (CEC) is pleased to announce new members to its Partnership Council. CEC’s Partnership Council is comprised of a broad spectrum of community leaders who act as ambassadors to advocate, network, and promote on behalf of CEC.

Claire Fackler is a National Education Liaison and National Volunteer Coordinator for the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, where she has worked for the past 21 years to inspire ocean and climate literacy and conservation. In 2018, Claire worked with CEC, Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, and Adams Elementary School’s Ocean Guardian Ambassadors on the Skip the Straw campaign leading to these students being recognized with the Spirit of Santa Barbara Award from the City of Santa Barbara and the Environmental Stewards Award from Explore Ecology. Claire is a Certified Interpretive Guide and Trainer through the National Association for Interpretation and serves as co-chair of CEC’s Partnership Council.

Cooper Matthieson is a mechanical engineer at Apeel Sciences, working to reduce food waste globally and create a more just food supply chain. A native Santa Barbarian, Cooper graduated from Columbia University and spent time in Charleston, South Carolina, where his passion for food, gardening, and agriculture took hold. He volunteered at several school gardens before managing his own garden program for The Green Heart Project at Meeting Street Elementary School at Brentwood, teaching elementary school students about food, nutrition, and the environment. Cooper moved back to Santa Barbara in 2017 to continue his work in the food system and advance food resiliency in our region and beyond.

Michelle Pickett has been a Shareholder at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck for 22 years, providing counsel on matters related to mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and corporate, business, and tax law. She is a trusted advisor to corporations, partnerships, and nonprofits and has actively engaged in providing legal services to the philanthropic sector, counseling a wide spectrum of nonprofits and leveraging her business experience to provide best practices for continued governance and operational efficiency. Michelle serves as the Director of the Santa Barbara City College Foundation.

Holly Sherwin is a fine artist and member of the Santa Barbara Printmakers Society, Santa Barbara Art Association, and Nature Print Society. Her award-winning pieces have been juried into numerous local art shows. Throughout her career, she has worked in environmental education and recreation, blending her love for nature with her passion for creating fine art. As a naturalist in Southwest Florida she introduced classes in fish printing and nature photography. Holly serves on the advisory council at Santa Barbara Channelkeeper and volunteers for several nonprofits.

About the Community Environmental Council (CEC)

Recognized as a 2020 California Nonprofit of the Year and 2020 City of Santa Barbara Climate Hero, CEC has worked since 1970 to incubate and innovate real life environmental solutions that directly affect the California Central Coast. Our current work advances rapid and equitable solutions to the climate crisis – including ambitious zero carbon goals, drawdown of excess carbon, and protection against the impacts of climate change. Our programs lead to clean vehicles, solar energy, resilient food systems and reduction of single-use plastic. Learn more about why CEC is one of only five nonprofits in Santa Barbara County to have the highest possible ratings on Charity Navigator and Guidestar at CECSB.org/impact. Find CEC on the web at CECSB.org and on Facebook.com/CECSB, Instagram.com/CEC_SB, Twitter.com/CECSB, and LinkedIn.com/CECSB.