Alliance welcomes new board member, expresses gratitude to outgoing member Jim Erkel
Congratulations to Asad Aliweyd (New American Development Center), Sunny Chanthanouvong (Lao Assistance Center of Minnesota) and Malik Holt Shabazz (At-Large) on their re-election to the Alliance board. And congratulations and welcome to Ivory Taylor (HOME Line) as Alliance’s newest board member.
Thank you to Jim Erkel (At-Large Board Member, formerly Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy) who served for eight years on the Alliance board, and as Treasurer for many of those years, including this past year. Jim brought a deep and abiding passion for bringing tangible actions that would advance racial equity to the environmental justice movement in both land use and transportation. Always emphasizing what bolder and more effective steps could be taken to advance equity in our region, he has trained innumerable organizers on the ins and outs of the Metropolitan Council and on the levers of regional governance and systems more broadly. He fulfilled the role of mentor for many of us with patience and vast stores of institutional and relational knowledge. We have always enjoyed his scathing yet snarkily humorous observations of the landscape, and are happy to know he will continue to share his ongoing analysis with our community as generously and humbly as ever. Thank you, Jim.