The Community Environmental Council (CEC) has announced additions to its Partnership Council and Intern Program.

Kristin Hogue, Wendy Read and Aaron Ritter are the new Partnership Council members. Savana Bjorklund has joined the Intern Program team.

The Partnership Council is made up of a broad spectrum of community leaders who act as ambassadors to advocate, network, and promote on behalf of CEC.

Hogue is interested in volunteering her time to inform and educate the community about the current environmental issues and challenges CEC is addressing.

She is involved in The Climate Reality Project, led by former Vice President Al Gore, and Meals on Wheels, where she was recently nominated to serve on the board of directors.

Hogue came to Santa Barbara in 1998. She said she feels fortunate to live in a city that is leading the way in environmental policy. Currently pursuing postgraduate work in environmental studies at SBCC, she holds a BA with honors in social ecology from UC Irvine.

Read was an actress starring on an NBC television series when she volunteered to work with a six-year-old foster child. Over the next 12 years, she watched as he was moved 27 times.

The child’s experience inspired Read to quit acting, complete law school, and pursue a career as an advocate for foster youth.

With some 20 years of experience in nonprofit management as well as foster care and education law, Read’s work as a licensed attorney in Santa Barbara has expanded to include organizational and management consulting.

A strong believer in the power of education to transform lives and communities, Read is a passionate supporter of nonprofits dedicated to education and social justice.

She currently serves as co-chair of the Santa Barbara Council of Human Rights Watch and previously served on the boards of The Living Peace Foundation, The Lois & Walter Capps Project, The Children’s Project Academy, Cate School, and Sycamores/Hathaway Social Services.

Ritter is a financial advisor who is passionate about making a positive impact, particularly regarding the environment.

He is driven by a feeling of ethical responsibility to do whatever he can to help combat climate change, which he considers the most urgent and unprecedented challenge of our time.

Ritter works primarily with socially and environmentally conscious clients, especially those who are philanthropically-minded.

Guided by his life mission of stewardship and care for the earth, Ritter volunteers for Sustainable Future, the Environmental Defense Center, Food From the Heart of Santa Barbara, and other organizations aligned with his vision and purpose.

CEC’s internship program attracts aspiring environmentalists from top universities. Many of CEC’s finest staff members began as interns.

Bjorklund is an earth and animal activist whose sights are set on contributing greatly to our changing planet. A senior at San Marcos High School, she completed an AP environmental science class and plans to major in environmental science in college.

Her drive to live the most environmentally friendly life possible led her to be vegetarian and then vegan. She joined CEC as an Earth Day Festival intern through the Partners in Education program.

Find CEC on the web at www.CECSB.org.

— Sigrid Wright for Community Environmental Council.