Environmental Champion,

With mixed emotions, I share the news of my departure from my role as Chief Campaigns Officer of Washington Conservation Voters and Washington Environmental Council as I embark on a new opportunity with the Campion Advocacy Fund. For the last 13 years, I have worked alongside you, advocating for a strong democracy, getting out the vote, and fighting for clean air and water for all Washingtonians. Throughout my time here, working with supporters and volunteers like you has been my biggest honor.

I would have never imagined the years-long journey I would embark on with the organization — and with the environmental and political community in our state — when I took the job as a WCV organizer in 2008.  I’m so incredibly proud of what we have accomplished together and remain hopeful about the places WEC, WCV, and WCV Action Fund will go under the leadership of CEO Alyssa Macy and with our deep bench of staff and board expertise.  

Here's just a small taste of what we accomplished together:

• We elected, then reelected twice, the greenest Governor in the nation.
• We fought back against big coal in 2013 by flipping the Whatcom County Council. 
• We went toe-to-toe with Tesoro Oil to stop the largest oil by rail terminal proposal in North America by flipping the Vancouver Port in 2015/2017.
• We flipped the State Senate in 2017, elected the largest class of environmental legislators in 2018, and added to it in 2020 with even more women and people of color. 
• We created the Alliance for Jobs and Clean Energy (now Climate Alliance), which has become a national model for how communities of color, labor, and environmentalists can work together on climate justice, and fought like hell for I-1631.
• We passed 100% Clean Electricity, the strongest and most equitable in the nation; a package of orca and Puget Sound protections; toxic reform; and so much more.
• Organizationally, we strengthened WEC and WCV’s partnership, uniting under a single CEO model that builds grassroots power and momentum for just and equable environmental policy, and we grew WCV’s PAC to be one of the largest progressive PACs in the state. 

I started my career organizing in Pierce County and Legislative District 28, and as I end my chapter here at WCV, it brings me great pride to see that through our collaborative efforts we flipped the district’s Senate seat and elected T’wina Nobles, an amazing Black woman and environmental justice leader. Our work has always been neighbors talking to neighbors, building local and state environmental champions, and growing voter and grassroots momentum bit by bit, year after year, to ensure bold environmental action.

It has been an honor to be in this fight with you.   

Onward together,

Shannon Murphy
Washington Conservation Voters
Chief Campaigns Officer