The Board
Jane Vosburg (she/her) is the Board President and a founder of FFCA. She is a retired teacher with a CalSTRS pension. She finds it unconscionable and negligent for her pension fund to continue investing in an industry that has performed poorly for the last ten years while threatening the future of today’s students. Since her retirement in 2013, Jane has been a driving force behind Fossil Free California’s campaign to divest CalSTRS of its fossil fuel investments. In light of the recent NY State and Rockefeller Fund divestment announcements, Jane is hopeful about the prospect of finally influencing her pension fund’s Board Members to divest CalSTRS from fossil fuels.
Patrick Costello (he/him) is the Board Treasurer. He is a Certified Financial Planner™ and founder of Green River Sustainable Financial Planning, an investment firm serving individuals and entities that wish to lower the carbon footprint of their investments. He is also the author of the book "Low-Carbon Investing: Defending the Climate/Emphasizing Performance," published in 2018. As a board member, Patrick works to increase the visibility and economic support and assists in articulating the changes that CA Pension Plan Trustees must make to decarbonize their investment portfolios.
Peter Guastella (he/him) designs virtual reality training simulations that help workers learn how to perform their jobs. He joined FFCA after the IPCC's 6th Assessment Report in 2021 warned that if we maintain our current carbon emissions trajectory, we were heading towards planetary disaster. With that stark warning, it felt like we had entered an "all hands on deck" moment in human history that required all of us to take a role in pushing hard on our political leaders to change course.
Christina Liu (she/her) is a climate justice organizer with Oil & Gas Action Network, where she campaigns against top fossil fuel funders. She has planned sit-ins, blockades, and lockdowns at banks, slaughterhouses, politician's offices, and more. She currently volunteers with Direct Action Everywhere, and serves on the board of Fossil Free California. Christina has a B.A's in Sociology and Legal Studies from UC Santa Cruz, where she focused on intersectional theory and civil liberties. She is passionate about climate justice, animal rights, and supporting youth organizers to take direct action.
Ken Minami (he/him), as an environmental economist, focuses on measuring the effects of policy on the climate . He employs an interdisciplinary background in energy markets, utility regulation, and climate modeling to better understand how we can collectively work to save our beautiful planet. At Fossil Free California, Ken applies data-driven solutions to support our social, civil, and political initiatives. He believes a deliberate and balanced approach is vital to connecting our environmental goals with the realities of a carbon-intensive world.
Gabriela Mitchell, Board Secretary, has been an educator for 28 years with Desert Sands Unified School District in the Coachella Valley. Currently, she works at The Knowledge Shop L.A. as the Director for Family Math and Special Projects. Member of the California Teachers Association (CTA) Ecology Caucus and treasurer for CTA Women’s Caucus. She is one of the founders of the National Association of African American Parents and Youth otherwise known as NAAAPY. She is an active member and praxis shadow for Association Raza Educators (Los Angeles Chapter). She served as Ethnic Minority and Human Rights executive board member for Desert Sands Teachers Association, and is a is a proud former participant of the California Mini-Corp program serving migrant students. Facilitator for the California Educators United and for the National Safe Return organization. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts and her Master's degree in Education Administration from Cal State University, San Bernardino.
Miguel Alatorre Jr (he/him) – Miguel is a third generation environmental activist who has been involved since he was a child in numerous battles against pollution and injustice in the San Joaquin Valley farmworker town of Kettleman City, California. Miguel helped found and mentor two Kettleman City youth groups KPOP, (Kids Protecting our Planet) and YPOP (Youth-Protecting our Planet) and is currently leading a Kettleman City Youth Environmental Justice Leadership Academy program on the weekends. Miguel helped to build campaigns to bring clean drinking water to Kettleman City, to reduce diesel truck emissions in his town, reduce pesticide drift from agricultural fields near homes, and opposing new permits for the infamous Waste Management Landfill in the Kettleman Hills – the largest such facility in the western US. Outside of organizing, Miguel enjoys spending time with his two crazy huskies and playing guitar, bass, drums, and piano to them.
Jen Simmons (she/her) is an organizer for clean energy, clean air, and conservation and a visual artist. As senior organizing manager at Sierra Club, she advocates in southern California for clean, renewable energy, zero emission transportation, healthy air, equitable access to nature, and protection and stewardship of public lands and biodiversity. With a background in middle market finance, Jen believes the best way to scale climate solutions, besides political will, is through institutional divestment from fossil fuels and investment in clean energy and non-polluting industries.
The Staff
Miriam Eide (she/they) – Coordinating Director – They are passionate about the intersection of labor and climate. In summer of 2021, Miriam returned to their home state of Minnesota to join Indigenous leaders in fighting to stop the construction of the Line 3 tar sands oil pipeline. Miriam won the Hamrie Community Service award for founding a free menstrual cup program on the Macalester College campus where they graduated with degrees in Environmental Studies and International Studies. In their free time they enjoy climbing, backpacking, and reading – especially fantasy.
Shana DeClercq (she/her) – Communications and Engagement Lead – Shana taps into the power of story to shift public narratives. Her work is rooted in climate justice, racial justice, and disability justice, building toward a shared future that is abundant, sustainable, and joyful for everyone in our communities.
Shana lives in south Berkeley with her wife, Deborah, a founding member of a prominent Bay Area worker-owned cooperative.