Sierra Club names Colleen Kiernan new Georgia director

By Maria Saporta

After a year without a permanent director, the Georgia Chapter of the Sierra Club has hired Colleen Kiernan for that role.

The news was announced in an email from Mark Woodall, chair of the Georgia Chapter, which was distributed more widely in an email from Neill Herring, who handles legislative affairs for the chapter.

Colleen Kiernan

Kiernan succeeds Patty Durand, who left the chapter in June, 2009.

Kiernan is no stranger to the Sierra Club and the environmental movement in Georgia. For five years, between 2001 and 2006, she worked for the Building Environmental Community Campaign in Georgia as part of the Sierra Club’s national field staff.

In another role, Kiernan also was involved in the early phases of the Atlanta Beltline project.

After leaving the Sierra Club in 2006, Kiernan attended Georgia Tech where she received her Masters in City and Regional Planning. Most recently she’s been employed as a sustainability specialist at a local design firm.

Woodall’s email said Kiernan will begin her new job on Aug. 23.