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Kendra Kimbirauskas

Portland, Oregon
Conservation Organizer

"I’m going for the record of working in the most states as a Sierra Club employee," says Kendra Kimbirauskas. "So far I’ve worked in Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, and Oregon, plus I volunteered in Illinois while working for another organization."

Prior to moving to Portland last year, Kimbirauskas worked on factory farming and sustainable agriculture. "I grew up on a farm," she explains. "My dad is a sustainable farmer, and I thought everyone farmed that way. I was so naïve I didn’t even realize factory farms existed, let alone that they were putting family farms out of business."

After college, Kimbirauskas worked for a Michigan state senator who sat on the agricultural committee, during which time she came in contact with people in the Club’s Mackinac Chapter office. Before long, she joined their staff, and she’s been on the move with the Club ever since. She met Mabel, pictured here, in Iowa. "A farmer I was working with insisted that I own a pig if I was going to be talking to pig farmers, so he gave Mabel to me. Truth be told, I think he didn’t want to see her go to meat, and if she was ‘mine’ he couldn’t send her. She’s still on the farm in Iowa, where she’ll remain happily ever after."

Kimbirauskas is a lifelong horseback rider; her horse, Snickers, lives 90 minutes north of Portland with family friends. "I used to be very competitive and do 3-day eventing, which is basically the triathlon of riding," she says. "These days I’m too busy for that, but I still try to ride whenever I can. Hopefully I’ll have a lot more time for that after November!"

Published: November 5, 2007