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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: Diane Waddell
Diane incorporates her work as a nurse practitioner in integrative, holistic medicine with her passion of caring for Creation. In her eco-spiritual journey, she has had a particular interest in sustainable agriculture, toxic burden, and sharing Earth equitably with God's other creatures. She founded and moderates Heartland Presbytery's environmental justice team, which has sent 3 overtures to GA, including a recommendation to use fewer disposables. Two other overtures have been written for GA 2012. Diane is a member of the EMAN team representing Environmental Ministries and is member of the Presbyterian Hunger Program Advisory Committee. She has made travel study trips for social and environmental justice to Brazil, Peru. Kenya and Jamaica. She lives in St. Joseph, MO.
Vice Moderator: Jane Laping
Jane Laping is the previous PEC at-large representative charged with supporting and coordinating PEC's fund-raising efforts. With degrees in science and 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 a Stewardship of Creation Enabler (SCE) for 10 years in Houston, and another year as SCE for the Presbytery of Western North Carolina. She also co-authored the denomination's new Earth Care Congregations Program with the Environmental Ministries office.
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: Andrew Plocher
Andrew Plocher is the teaching elder at New Hope Presbyterian Church in Derwood Maryland, just outside the DC beltway. A native Oregonian, he grew up in a family passionate about earth care and continues that heritage. A graduate of Carleton College (Northfield, MN) and Luther Seminary (St. Paul, MN), Andrew has worked as a community and labor organizer and served as an associate pastor in Philadelphia prior to moving to DC. He has served with interfaith and labor leadership boards, serves on the Mission Coordinating Committee of National Capital Presbytery, and is passionate about environmental and social justice issues at the local and broader level. When not actively doing the work of the church, Andrew enjoys painting and running, and with his wife Anna enjoys the trails of the DC area and tending to an overflowing balcony garden.
Midwest Regional Representative: Jerry Rees
Jerry Rees is a volunteer environmental activist focusing on faith communities and is currently the chair of the Environmental Action Committee at Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village, KS. Beyond the walls of his church, Jerry was an original member and remains active in Earthkeepers of Heartland Presbytery. He also helped co-found the interfaith Sustainable Sanctuary Coalition of Greater Kansas City. In 2008, Jerry attended The Climate Project's 3-day Global Climate Change Training for Faith Communities with Al Gore. In 2008 and 2009, he was active in opposing legislation which would have favored the construction of two 700-MW coal-fired power plants in western Kansas. He currently serves on the advocacy committees of Presbyterians for Earth Care, Sustainable Sanctuary Coalition, and Kansas Interfaith Power & Light.
Southwest Regional Representative: Ann Owen
Northwest Regional Representative: Holly Hallman
In September, 2011, she retired from her work as a hospice chaplain, allowing her more time to be an active advocate for the Puget Sound ecosystem. One of her favorite things is teaching children by dissecting salmon at school science fairs. She edited the PEC newsletter for two years and is glad to be back in an active roll.
Pacific Representative: David Siegenthaler
David Siegenthaler volunteers as an eco-justice minister in the Presbytery of San Francisco. He is employed by the National Park Service to coordinate the Federal Lands to Parks Program for the Western Region. He also manages other federal grant programs including the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the Urban Parks and Recreation Recovery, and the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Program. His work with non-profits has included interpretive planning and design, wildlife sanctuary management, environmental education, and public interest work. David serves on the Board of the international group, The Institute for Earth Education, and Starflower Experiences. David holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology, a Master of Science in Environmental Resources Management, a Master of Divinity, and a Ph.D. in Systematic and Philosophical Theology.
At-large Representative: Fred Milligan
Fred’s first awareness of earth care issues came to him as a youth growing up on a family farm in rural Arkansas when he served briefly as the first collector of garbage in the nearby town of Strawberry, with a population of just 200 people. Over the years his passion for social justice and pastoral ministry led both to congregational and community ministry as well as denominational staff positions in the PC(USA) and ELCA as a Stewardship Educator. Fred currently serves as Interim Pastor, Head of Staff of The Presbyterian Church of Traverse City, Michigan.Fred holds degrees from Bethel and Vanderbilt Universities (B.A. and M.Div. respectively) and The University of Chicago Divinity School (M.A.).
An At-Large member of the PEC Steering Committee, Fred chairs the Membership and Fundraising Committee. He also serves as a member of the Steering Committee of the Presbyterian Eco-Stewards program and is the liaison with PEC.
