The Sierra Club’s board of directors voted to fire Ben Jealous, its executive director, on Monday, according to multiple reports.
Jealous began to helm the environmental nonprofit in early 2023 and was reportedly on leave for several weeks before he was let go after an “extensive” review of his behavior, according to multiple reports. Jealous reportedly made several staff cuts during his tenure and had a contentious relationship with some of the staff, according to Politico.
“[Sierra Club’s board] unanimously voted to terminate Mr. Jealous’ employment with the Sierra Club for cause following extensive evaluation of his conduct,” the group’s spokesperson Jonathon Berman told Politico on Monday. “The Sierra Club values all of its employees, members, and volunteers, not just those holding influence and power. The Sierra Club will continue to look into concerns raised regarding misconduct irrespective of who they are raised against in furtherance of our policies, the law, and our mission.”
The group’s specific reasons for firing Jealous are not known, though Sierra Club Board President Patrick Murphy reportedly said in an email that the board “made a difficult but principled decision to uphold our values and commitment to accountability, which will be carried forward by the leadership team,” according to Politico.
Volunteers and staff were reportedly dissatisfied with Jealous’ leadership, which saw multiple rounds of layoffs, according to E&E News. Erica Dodt, president of the Progressive Workers Union that represents Sierra Club employees, celebrated when Jealous was put on leave in July.
“We are heartened to see the Sierra Club take action to terminate Ben Jealous for cause,” Dodt said. “Over a year ago, our union members overwhelmingly voted no confidence in Jealous’ leadership, citing his mismanagement of our organization’s strategy and budget and his ongoing attacks on our union. We hope that his departure will open the door for a stronger relationship between workers and management, and allow the Sierra Club to better focus our efforts on fighting the Trump administration and protecting the environment.”
Founded in 1892, the Sierra Club has a long history of political and environmental activism. The nonprofit tallies its list of its achievements on its website, listing the closures of 382 coal plants among its victories.
The group lists its core values as “anti-racism, balance, collaboration, justice, and transformation” on its site, and has demonstrated these principles by publicly denouncing cofounder John Muir’s century-old “racist” remarks and partnering with other activist organizations to file lawsuits against major energy projects.
Sierra Club was among several major environmental nonprofits to downsize this year, as the Rocky Mountain Institute and the Ocean Conservancy also reportedly announced layoffs, indicating a broader shift in the climate activism space as the Trump administration reverses many Biden-era policy wins for the environmentalist lobby and pulls taxpayer money from green groups.
The Sierra Club and Jealous did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.
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