STAFF

Denny Larson, Executive Director:
Denny has twenty three years of experience as a community organizer and campaigner working with industrial communities fighting for justice.  He developed the first national network in the U.S. focused on oil refineries and the giant corporations that own them as well as innovating the Bucket Brigade community air sampling system.

In his work, he has assisted communities in Louisiana, Texas, Ohio, Florida, Georgia, Southern Africa, India, Thailand, Mexico, Australia and many other locations to establish their own air monitoring network.

Denny has published a series of community organizing handbooks and co-authored a variety of environmental legislation and regulation pertaining to air pollution, accident prevention and environmental monitoring policies at the local, regional, state, national and international level. 

His work as paid off, as he's negotiated two dozen binding agreements with major polluters in conjunction with impacted communities to reduce tons of unnecessary pollution and create direct community oversight.

Ruth Breech, Program Director:   

Ruth is an experienced advocate on toxics and environmental health. Ruth joined the Global Community Monitor staff in 2007, training dozens of communities nationally and internationally on air sampling, communications, learning and overcoming regulatory limitations and engaging polluting companies directly. Previously with Ohio Citizen Action, Ruth worked on several very successful Good Neighbor Campaigns winning voluntary pollution reductions from polluters.

Ruth has worked in all arenas of public advocacy, and lends this experience to the community members we partner with and advocate on behalf. She is passionate about assisting communities in their struggle to breathe clean air.

Ruth is the recipient of the 2009 Healthy School Heroes Award.

Jessica Hendricks, Program Manager

Jessica's roots in grassroots community organizing center around environmental issues. While working with the Sierra Club Jessica organized people to take on large corporations that were polluting our environment, including an Environmental Justice campaign around the construction of new power plants in the historically disadvantaged community of Hunter's Point in San Francisco.  She has also served as a field organizer for MoveOn.org and organized student action on Darfur. 

Jessica has a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and has completed The Midwest Academy's 'Organizing for Social Change' training. She currently serves on the Board of the ACLU - Berkeley North East Bay Chapter.

Pamela G. Arauz, Administration Manager

Pamela is an experienced administrative professional who is applying her skills and passion to the environmental health and justice movement. During college, Pamela was a member of the Latin American Club, the main goal of which was to raise funds to provide scholarships to low income students. Additionally, she has worked as a volunteer registering and motivating new and young voters to make their voices heard on issues that affect our local communities and our environment.

During the Green Festival in San Francisco as a volunteer of Global Exchange and Green America, Pamela tapped into her strong desire to assist organizations in the promotion and understanding of the value of sustainability and the need to deal with climate change and related energy needs.

Pamela has a Bachelor of Science in International Business and Master in Business Administration.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Ronald Plain, President, The Lambton Environmental Action Plan, Sarnia Canada

Diana Ruiz, Vice-President, Physcians for Social Responsibility, Washington DC

David Chatfield, Secratary/Treasurer, former Director Californians for Pesticide Reform, San Francisco California

Will Becker, former Chief Program Officer for Conservation Corps North Bay, Napa, CA

Suzie Canales, Citizen for Environmental Justice, Corpus Christi, Tx

Hilton Kelley, Community In-Power Development Association, Port Arthur, Tx

Bruce Lanphear, Professor of Children's Environmental Health, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada

Bart Lounsbury, Rossmann and Moore, LLP, San Francisco, CA

Will Rostov, Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA