Friend,

Happy Women's History Month! Women are powerful leaders and changemakers, and this Women's History Month, we're recognizing women who have impacted the environmental movement in truly pivotal ways.

Leaders within the LCV Community
At LCV, we have many inspiring women as part of our community. Today, we are highlighting a few of the many women who continue to power our mission. These women sit on the LCV Board of Directors, as well as hold high-level positions within the Conservation Voter Movement (LCV and our 30+ state affiliates).

Carrie Clark, a Texas native, is the Executive Director of the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters (NCLCV). After graduating from Trinity University in Texas, she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tanzania where she learned the value and effectiveness of natural resource management. With an impressive background, including earning a Master's in Environmental Management from Duke University and working with a variety of conservation organizations, she joined NCLCV in 1999. Deeply involved in the environmental movement, Clark is the secretary of the LCV Board of Directors and also serves on the boards of three other organizations with similar missions.

Brionté McCorkle, the Executive Director of the Georgia Conservation Voters, first honed in on environmental sustainability while attending Georgia State University. Through one of her courses, she recognized that the main barrier to progress on climate change is government leadership. From then on, she has centered her career on community organization, civic engagement, the advancement of racial equity, and environmental protection. One of McCorkle's prior successes was her mobilization of community members in Clayton County, Georgia to urge the Board of Commissioners to expand the area's transit system. The expansion restored mobility, increased employment, reduced crime, and increased access to better food and healthcare for the community.

Kerry Schumann, the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Conservation Voters (WCV), is no stranger to environmental stewardship or a love for the outdoors. Schumann grew up on a farm in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, in a big family that emphasized the importance of community involvement. Her upbringing has led her to center three values in her adult life: community, hard work, and conservation. These values guided her throughout her 20 years of experience leading Wisconsin conservation organizations and serving on and chairing several nonprofit Boards of Directors. When she first joined the WCV, it was a two-person startup and with her leadership, it has become a political force today.

Political Powerhouses Leading Environmental Progress in Congress
In addition to these and more women in the LCV community who are doing important work in their communities and states, we also celebrate political powerhouses in Congress who are advancing our goals as national leaders. These women are among the many amazing environmental champions who are working to make a difference for our planet and communities:

Rep. Kathy Castor is the U.S. Representative for the 14th district of Florida. She currently serves as the Chair of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis and led their development of their roadmap for Solving the Climate Crisis: The Congressional Action Plan for a Clean Energy Economy and a Healthy, Resilient, and Just America. Rep. Castor is a strong ally and one of the key leaders in Congress for climate action and the transition to a clean energy economy. Her dedication to advancing environmental progress is demonstrated by her incredible score of 100% on LCV's 2021 National Environmental Scorecard.

Rep. Nanette Barragán, the U.S. Representative for California's 44th district and a former Hermosa Beach City Councilwoman, has made an impact throughout her time in politics. While serving on the City Council, she took a stance against Big Oil and subsequently defeated a ballot measure that would have allowed offshore drilling in Santa Monica. In Congress, Barragán fights for the needs of her constituents — who live in a community that is most at risk for exposure to pollution in California — by focusing on the advancement of environmental justice issues. She co-founded the United for Climate and Environmental Justice Task Force and serves as a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto is the first Latina elected to the United States Senate and currently serving her first term as Senator for Nevada. Cortez Masto has co-sponsored multiple important pieces of legislation including the Clean Energy for America Act, aimed at reducing carbon pollution; the Electric CARS Act, focused on the development and usage of electric vehicles; and the Renewable Energy Extension Act, which supports clean energy tax incentives and green technologies. Cortez Masto has been and continues to be an outspoken leader for protecting our public lands as well as protecting our childrens' health by transitioning to clean electric school buses.

At LCV, we are continuously inspired by these women, and the numerous others who fight for a safer, cleaner, and more equitable world. Look out for our next email that will highlight more powerful women in the environmental movement!

Maryam Hassanein
Online Engagement Intern
League of Conservation Voters