Green Party of Pennsylvania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sunday, January 28, 2024

CONTACT: 

Chris Robinson, Communication Team Co-Leader

215-843-4256 and [email protected]

Green Party Elects New PA Leaders

The mission of the Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) is to promote Green values throughout our Commonwealth by participation in the political process: electing candidates; enacting legislation; organizing communities; providing viable new political options; supporting the development of county Green Parties; and making government more open, democratic, and participatory for all Pennsylvania citizens. The party, which now has more than 9,000 members, will be growing by leaps and bounds during this presidential election year. In preparing for this growth in registered Greens, the party will have to expand its organizational reach.

Now, the GPPA State Committee has elected a new Steering Committee for 2024. The most significant tasks have been assigned to the GPPA co-chairs, who are authorized to execute the business of the Party by and with the advice of the Steering Committee and subject to the approval of the State Committee.

GPPA Co-chair Jeremy R. Griffin (Delaware) was elected in 2023 for a two-year term. After this year’s election, Griffin said, “Awesome to be a part of such an active chapter in the Green Party of Pennsylvania's history. I will be pushing for honest, transparent and efficient meetings from the new Steering Committee this year. I'm sure that the new Steering Committee will get a lot of work done. I'm also glad to be working right alongside new Co-chair Theron Gilliland. He is a super important part of this Party. He has made significant strides in leading our Green Wave Team recently.”

Newly elected Co-chair Theron Gilliland, Jr. (he/him) (Allegheny) responded, "With Jay Ting Walker's two-year term as co-chair coming to an end, I thought it would be beneficial to GPPA if his successor were also in Allegheny County, one of the most active chapters in the state. I had worked with Jeremy Griffin a bit in late 2023, and I felt that he and I have a complementary skill set. Jeremy is great at connecting with people, generating enthusiasm, and having the 'big ideas' that motivate others; I work best more behind the scenes, ensuring that the organizational structure we put in place runs smoothly. In a presidential election year, the Green Party needs both kinds of people at the helm."

Before his election, Gilliland had been a member at large of the GPPA Steering Committee and media coordinator of the Green Party of Allegheny County (GPOAC).  Last year he had also taken on the leadership of the party’s Green Wave Team, which organized the Green Party’s 2024 Presidential Primary Election.

Also elected by the State Committee was new GPPA Treasurer Jeff Kondrich (Westmoreland) who explained, “I accepted the nomination for Treasurer for two reasons. The first and foremost factor was the necessity of the position contrasting with members who were willing to step into the role. The second (and older) reason is that it's important to me that the Green Party grow stronger and execute substantial plans to garner reputation, requisition, and especially relevance in what are sure to be intense and trying years to come in our near future. I appreciate the opportunity, and I plan to make a positive difference.” 

Three new Steering Committee members at large were elected by the State Committee. Two of them shared their background and why they ran for the GPPA leadership.

Alex Casper (they/them) (Philadelphia) explained how they saw their new responsibility. “I ran for the Steering Committee to make sure our party infrastructure is well taken care of. I ran because I want to make sure we are doing efforts that grow our party, not just maintain its current status. I plan on doing this by changing our practice with regard to adapting to new marketing laws, involving more petitioning, and increasing the amount of contacts we make as a party in our communities.” Casper is an elected member of the Green Party of Philadelphia City Committee, and they are under consideration to become leader of GPPA’s Core Team.

Jay Ting Walker said, “I decided to run for the GPPA Steering Committee so I could help to maintain continuity from previous GPPA Steering Committees during a pivotal year for our state party. Maybe it's relevant to mention that this would be my fourth year on the Steering Committee. (I was appointed to fill a vacancy in 2020.) Walker has been co-chair of GPPA, chair of GPOAC, and a Green Party candidate for State Representative.

Newly elected Steering Committee member at large, Tim Runkle (Lancaster) is also chair of the Green Party of Lancaster County. Runkle had been GPPA Treasurer from 2018 until 2021.

The new GPPA Steering Committee will take office on February 1. The Green Party of PA, https://www.gpofpa.org, is an independent political party which stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please email [email protected]. Please follow GPPA on social media: Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/gpofpa/; Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/pagreenparty/; and Twitter, https://twitter.com/GreenPartyofPA.

For more information, please see:

“New Leaders Vow to Expand PA Green Party,” GPPA News Release, January 23, 2023,
https://www.gpofpa.org/new_leaders_vow_to_expand_pa_green_party 

“PA Green Party Elects 2022 Steering Committee,” GPPA News Release, January 14, 2022, https://www.gpofpa.org/pa_green_party_elects_2022_steering_committee

“Introducing the New Leaders of PA’s Green Party” by Beth Scroggin and Tina Olson. GPPA News Release, January 19, 2021,
https://www.gpofpa.org/introducing_the_new_leaders_of_pa_s_green_party 

“PA Green Party Elects New Co-chair,” GPPA News Release, January 20, 2019, https://www.gpofpa.org/pa_green_party_elects_new_co_chair 

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