Ethan Bergerson

I am a passionate and charismatic leader who has inspired thousands to take action and volunteer, built successful coalitions and created strong and lasting relationships with community leaders. Most recently I was Associate Regional Organizer for the Sierra Club’s successful campaign to close the TransAlta Coal Plant and create a $55 million green jobs transition fund. I was responsible for planning and implementing our field campaign. I built and lead a volunteer team with 150 participants around the state, and 30 core leaders. I helped build and steer a coalition consisting of 15 environmental, health, faith, social justice and labor organizations. A key strength of mine is my ability to develop strong, lasting partnerships with both organizations and individuals. I enjoy building these relationships, both in the initial stages of reaching out for the first time and in the later stages of cooperative development and trust building. When we began our campaign, many said that our campaign was impossible to win, and now it’s being covered as one of the greatest environmental success stories of the year. At the Sierra Club, I was also responsible for coordinating press and communications strategy. I am a gifted wordsmith who understands messaging strategy and knows how to craft a winning frame which gets the public on our side. I have staged press events, written media releases and cultivated relationships with reporters and bloggers. I’ve planned online campaigns, written dozens of email arcs, and maintained our campaign website and Facebook page. My writing and speaking have inspired thousands to take online action and hundreds to volunteer for our campaign.