Leadership

The volunteer Steering Committee consists of a Moderator, Vice Moderator, Treasurer, Regional Representatives and at-large members. They are nominated and elected by membership. All PEC members are eligible to serve on the Steering Committee. Terms are two-years in length, with the possibility of being re-elected twice. The PEC Coordinator is a part-time paid staff person who helps to coordinate the work of the Steering Committee.  PEC Steering Committee gathers annually for planning at one of the camp and conference centers of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). 

 PEC Steering Committee and Regional Representatives
 

Moderator: Jenny Holmes

Jenny Holmes, elected by membership as the Moderator of PEC in June 2005, serves as the Stewardship of Creation Educator for Presbytery of the Cascades (OR) and program director for Interfaith Network for Earth Concerns (INEC), a program of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon. Her work with INEC focuses on local food systems, global warming, greening congregations and watersheds. Before joining the PRC Steering Committee, she served as co-director of the 2002 PRC Conference Earth's Energy, God's Light in McMinnville, OR and played a lead role in organizing a consultation that informed the PC(USA)'s "Report and Recommendations on Limited Water Resources and Takings," adopted by the General Assembly in 2004.

Vice Moderator: Diane Waddell

Diane Waddell is from Kansas City, MO.  She is a nurse practitioner in St. Joseph, MO.  She is the Stewardship of Creation Enabler (SCE) for Heartland Presbytery.  She founded and still moderates their environmental justice team, “Earthkeepers,” which sent 3 overtures to GA, including a recommendation to use fewer disposables and one to reinstate the Division of Environmental Ministries.   She’s also a member of the Presbyterian Hunger Program’s Advisory Committee.  Diane attended PEC’s 2005 Silver Bay Conference and helped plan the 2007 one at Mo Ranch.

Treasurer: Sue Smith

Sue Smith is a Presbyterian elder, serving as chair of the Mission Committee in the Presbytery of Monmouth. She also moderates a creation cares small group in her church. Sue discovered PEC when she was assigned to the Social Justice Committee at the 2006 GA. Living in New Jersey, Sue advocates for clean oceans and beaches. Sue also serves as Treasurer for a local soup kitchen/food pantry. 

Northeast Regional Representative: John Preston

John Preston is the northeast representative to the PEC steering committee and co-editor with Andrew Bartlett of the Global Eco Justice newsletter published by the Hunger agency in collaboration with PEC.  He is the author of Wrestling Until the Dawn:  The Fight for Biblical Justice in a Postmodern World.  He is on the Advocacy committee of PEC as well as the Advocacy Working Group of a Presbytery Partnership Group in the Synod of the Northeast.  He has been following the various energy and climate change bills recently offered in the house and senate.  He resides with his wife Sally in upstate New York.

Southeast Regional Representative: Vacant

Midwest Regional Representative: Jerry Rees

Jerry Rees is a volunteer environmental activist focusing on faith communities.  He became involved in environmental activities in 1992 when he joined the Justice, Peace, & Environment Committee of Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village, KS. In 2001, he became chair. In 2003, he convened a Sustainable Sanctuary Task Force. He is currently serving as the chair of Village Church's Environmental Action Committee. Under his leadership, Village Church has received three awards; Bridging the Gap's Environmental Excellence Award for Non-Profits in November 200, PEC's Restoring Creation Service Award in October 2007 and Sierra Club's 2008 "Faith in Action" Environmental Stewardship Award in June 2008.  Jerry is also active in the interfaith Sustainable Sanctuary Coalition of Greater Kansas City, Earthkeepers of Heartland Presbytery, and the Johnson County (Kansas) Climate Protection Committee. In 2008, he was invited to join the steering committees of Presbyterians for Restoring Creation and Kansas Interfaith Power & Light. Last October, he attended The Climate Project's 3-day Global Climate Change Training for Faith Communities with Al Gore. Last winter and spring, he was active in opposing legislation which would have favored the construction of two 700-MW coal-fired power plants in western Kansas.

Southwest Regional Representative: Martha Rogers

Martha joined PEC in 2007 during PEC's national conference at Mo Ranch.  She has served ten years on the board of Texas Impact and eight years on the Southwest Texas UMC Conference Board of Church & Society, four of those as chair.  Martha has presented workshops on Media violence, Culture of Poverty, and The Pledge of Nonviolence.  A new Presbyterian, she has led her church, St. Andrew in Austin, TX, to form a dishwashing team enabling the use of "real plates," to replace a gas-hogging, un-vented, seven-pilot-light range, to install additional roof vents, and to observe Earth Day.  She credits her Girl Scout camping days with developing in her a love for the creation.  Martha is a Houston native.  She attended Rice University and graduated with secondary teaching certificate (English) from University of Kentucky.  She lives in Austin with husband, Wayne, IBM retired engineer and retired community college teacher.  They have two adult children and two grandchildren, all living in Austin. 

Northwest Regional Representative: Rick Melin

Richard E. (Rick) Melin serves as the Executive Presbyter for the Presbytery of Inland Northwest. Previously Rick served as a pastor in Nebraska, Minnesota, South Dakota and Washington as well as the Executive Presbyter for the Presbytery of South Dakota. He has a long time interest in the environment and helped set up a recycling program involving the Presbytery Office and local congregations. He attended the 2007 PEC National Conference at Mo Ranch and is a contributor to a Creation Care group in one of Inland Northwest's congregations. Rick and Carol are the parents of three grown children and 3 grandchildren. As a couple they enjoy gardening & working in the yard, walking and cheering for the Washington State Cougars.

Western Regional Representative: David Siegenthaler
David Siegenthaler is from San Francisco, CA.  He works for the National Park Service in the regional office.  He has just completed his PhD.  He is the Stewardship of Creation Enabler (SCE) for San Francisco Presbytery.

At-large Representative fund raising support: Jane L. Laping

Jane L. Laping is nominated to be At-large Representative, and support and coordinate PEC’s fundraising efforts.  With degrees in science public health, Jane has been actively volunteering for environmental justice since the 1970s.  While living in Houston, TX, she developed the non-profit, Mothers for Clean Air.  Jane served as an SCE for 10 years in Houston, and has just become SCE for the Presbytery of Western NC. She also co-authored the denominations new Earth Care Congregations program with the Environmental Ministries office. 

PEC Coordinator: Julie Lehman

Julie Lehman has been a lay leader and teacher in the Presbyterian Church USA for over twenty years. Having studied environmental theology, ethics, and education at Columbia Theological Seminary, she has helped form earth teams and led environmental education classes and workshops for numerous churches and groups. She also serves as the Director of Church and Interfaith Relations at Warren Wilson College, a Presbyterian-affiliated college in the forefront of higher education sustainability. Julie has also written articles on environmental stewardship for publications, including the Presbyterian Outlook and Columbia Seminary’s Vantage Magazine. She and a Warren Wilson student designed and hosted the Eco-sermon challenge to the clergy of the PC USA in 2007 through the Presbyterian Outlook.  Julie lives in Asheville, NC with her husband, Rev. Michael Poulos of First Presbyterian Church of Asheville, and their two children.