A New CEO for CEC

After 10 years at the helm, Dave Davis will officially retire from his position as CEO of the Community Environmental Council on July 31. Sigrid Wright, who has been an instrumental leader at CEC for 20 years, has been named the new CEO.

Honoring Dave Davis

Dave – who joined the CEC Board of Directors in 2004 and became CEO in 2005 – led the organization through more than a decade of focus on regional solutions to climate change and clean energy development. In 2012 he was also elected President and Chairman of the Board, roles he will continue to serve during the transition period. He is looking forward to new civic challenges, such as his recent appointment to the City of Santa Barbara’s Water Commission, and will continue as Chair of the MTD Board.

CEC’s 45th Anniversary Green Gala – which will be held Friday, September 25, 2015 at the Lark – will honor Dave, celebrating his accomplishments and contributions to the organization, the community, and the environmental movement as a whole.

Sigrid's Work with CEC

Sigrid – the first female CEO in CEC's 45 year history – has served with CEC since 1995, in recent years as Assistant Director. In 2007, she co-authored A New Energy Direction: A Blueprint for Santa Barbara County – one of the first regional energy plans in the U.S. to outline a path for moving away from fossil fuels, which CEC has been implementing since that time.

Sigrid’s accomplishments include growing the Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival to a profitable two-day event that attracts about 30,000 visitors a year, and serving as program facilitator for the South County Energy Efficiency Partnership, a collaboration between local cities and utilities that helps reduce energy consumption.

She plans to continue the organization's efforts to move the region toward sustainable methods for managing water, food and energy. Most recently, she initiated a community-based visioning process that looks at the health and sustainability of the region’s food system, catalyzing a partnership with the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County, the Santa Barbara Foundation, and the Orfalea Foundation to produce a countywide “Food Action Plan.”

Read more about Dave’s reflections on the past 10 years and Sigrid’s thoughts on the most critical environmental issues facing Southern California in the full press release.