President's Message - Spring 2025

Spring is in full bloom, and we are busy as bees!

Our AEP State and Chapter Boards and Committees are working hard to expand professional development programs, improve communication and collaboration, and foster connection. As your president, I hope that you enjoy and appreciate the benefits & services that AEP provides and our efforts to keep the organization thriving.

Read more below as we cover recent events and look at what's coming up for AEP members.

CEQA Workshops
Our CEQA Advanced Workshops were held in-person early February. They were well attended by many expert speakers from around the State. Thank you to Ascent Environmental’s Gary Jacobs and Chris Mundhenk and their Committee of CEQA experts for spending endless hours writing the curriculum for AEP members each year.

Early Career Meetups
In March, we launched our first Affinity Group with 30 attendees at the debut of the Early Career Meetup. Each Meetup is hosted on Zoom and is structured with: music, introductions, sharing “What gives you joy?”, a selection of alignment exercises to promote engagement and connection, and open, unstructured conversation. These are intended as storytelling spaces, to encourage sharing of experiences, challenges, uncertainties, ideas, solutions, and support. Connection is our goal, and we are proud to offer our members the opportunity to practice empathy, build connections, and “network out, not just up”. The Early Career Meetup is the second Tuesday of each month at noon, and members can register at www.califaep.org. Stay tuned for more Affinity Groups coming soon, including Rural Connections and Seasoned Professionals. 

Legislative Committee
Various members of the AEP Legislative Committee and our lobbyist Matt Klopfenstein attended the Day at the Capitol in early March. Our team met with Legislators and/or their staff and held our traditional CEQA Hot Topics course.

2025 Annual Conference
We literally touched grass during our 2025 Conference in Oxnard on the beautiful beachfront property of Zachari Dunes. Integrating our in-person Conference into the environments and communities where we live and thrive is important to how we operate as an organization. These offline events give us a wonderful chance to work on those soft connections where innovation, education, and celebration happen organically. Workshops and sessions expanded members’ capacities for navigating policy & process; and unstructured social spaces offered all of us the chance to relate as people in fun and joy. Huge thanks to our conference organizers, session presenters, keynote speakers, and generous sponsors!

Save the date for the AEP 2026 Conference, April 23-26 at the Sheraton San Diego Resort!

AEP Podcast
Our podcasters Jessa and Corinne have been adding new episodes to the AEP Environmental Leadership Chronicles. You can review them here: https://www.califaep.org/podcast.php  or download them wherever you get your podcasts.

Webinar Series
We have an exciting slate of fun and informative webinars coming up, including our virtual CEQA Advanced Workshop, How to Write an EIR, Renewable Energy Symposium, and NEPA Essentials. Please visit https://www.califaep.org/webinars.php to see the latest dates and agendas and to register for you and/or your team. Note: these AEP programs are also AICP & MCLE certified.

Thank You!
We strive to keep you updated with the most current information in the environmental profession while also fostering human connection. Thank you for being part of this organization and adding to its value and sense of belonging. If you would like to get more involved with AEP (state or local), please contact Lynne Bynder, AEP Executive Director at lbynder@califaep.org.

Thank you for reading this far, and for continuing to practice authentic, meaningful connection.

Sincerely,
Mindy Fogg
AEP President

Updated May 20, 2025 by Reid Walley