Principal Investigator: Greta Swanson
Law Fellow: Zoe Vogel
Law Clerk: Ashley Dawn Anderson
Research Associate: Jesse Ferraioli
Administrative Associate: Albert Mancilla
Visiting Attorney:
Maria Irene Jandoc is a Visiting Attorney from the Philippines with a Master of Laws in Environmental and Energy Law from Georgetown University. Prior to ELI, she was a practicing attorney in the Philippines with a combined experience in litigation and corporate practice. She worked for law firms and corporations until she joined the Office of the Solicitor General. She also worked on projects and took part in expropriation of properties for project development of infrastructure in the Philippines. In addition, she provided transactional and legal advisory services in project operation of nickel ore mining in the Philippines, and a hydropower plant in Laos. She also handled their needed licenses, permits, and compliance. She worked as a researcher for organizations including the Georgetown Climate Center and researched on adaptation plans, land use, nuclear microreactors, and ESG among others. She is also involved in volunteer works for Tribes in the Philippines.
Public Interest and Environmental Law Fellow:
Rebecca Ramirez, 2021-2022: Rebecca Ramirez joined ELI in September 2021. Prior to joining ELI, Rebecca held law clerk and externship positions with the General Counsel of the Oceans and Coasts Section at NOAA, Earthjustice and the Human Rights Clinic at the University of Miami School of Law. She received her J.D. with a concentration in Environmental Law from the University of Miami School of law, graduating cum laude. At Miami Law, Rebecca was an Associate Editor for the University of Miami Inter-American Law Review and a Teaching Assistant for Professor Daniel Suman’s Coastal Law and Policy course. She received her M.P.S. in Marine Ecosystems and Society from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, earning an Award of Academic Merit. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Texas at Austin.
Law Clerks:
Kenadi Mitchell, Spring 2023: Kenadi is a student at the Howard University School of Law, where she is a member of the Energy and Environment Law Student Association (HEELS) and the Goler Teal Butcher International Moot Court Team. At Howard, she also serves as the Vice President of the Womxn's Law Student Association and Treasurer of Epsilon Sigma Iota Sorority Inc. She has interned at the Arizona Supreme Court Staff Attorneys’ Office and served as a summer associate at Balch & Bingham where she co-authored an article on the Sackett v. EPA decision for Bloomberg Law.
Zoe Vogel, Summer 2022: Zoe is a student at the Tulane University Law School, where she serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the Tulane Environmental Law Journal, Intersectionality Chair of the Environment & Energy Law Society and a Research Assistant at the Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy. Zoe received her bachelor's degree in Business from the University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management.
David White, Summer 2022: David is a student at the University of California, Berkeley. As a student, David has worked in the Land Law and Environment sections of the California Attorney General's office and at the California-China Climate Institute.
Grace Gibson, Spring 2022: Grace is a student at Georgetown University Law Center committed to a career in public interest environmental law. She serves as Administrative Editor of Vol. 35 of the Georgetown Environmental Law Review and is a member of the Georgetown Environmental Law Society and the Native American Law Students Association. Grace is from Tampa, Florida and graduated from the University of Florida in 2019.
Pro Bono Volunteers:
Miranda E. Tafoya is a third-year student at the University of California, Irvine School of Law. Miranda graduated from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service in 2018 and, prior to law school, taught elementary school English in rural Japan for two years. She is a member of the UCI Law International Justice clinic and a fellow for the UC Irvine Center for Law, Equality, and Race. Miranda served as a summer law clerk at the Children’s Law Center of California and at The Wilderness Society. After graduating from law school, she will clerk for the Honorable Karen T. Nakasone of the Hawai'i Intermediate Court of Appeals.
Matthew Steelberg is a J.D. candidate at the University of Virginia School of Law, working with ELI on the Advancing Tribal Sovereignty and Community Health in California Project. Previously, Matthew served as a municipal advisor with PFM Financial Advisors LLC in its Virginia advisory practice. He holds a B.A. in Economics and Political Philosophy, Policy, and Law with a minor in Mathematics from the University of Virginia, from which he graduated with high distinction.
Research & Publications Interns:
Jenny Tseng, Spring 2023: Jenny is a an Environmental Science and Public Policy student at UC Berkeley. For the Tribe-State project, she is gathering public records data from key cities and counties in California and analyzing their Tribal consultation policies to examine the effectiveness of SB 18 and AB 52. She also contributes to ELI's People Places Planet podcast. Outside of ELI, she works as a school meal reform researcher for Oakland Unified School District and examines how to improve health and academic outcomes of students through school meal programs.
Abhi Vishwanath, Spring 2023: Abhi is a senior at American University studying Economics and Political Science. At ELI, his work is divided between the RWJF and INECE projects. His research interests include the intersections of global economic development and environmental justice with a specific focus on South Asia. At AU, Abhi formerly served as President of the South Asian Student Association, a volunteer tutor for DC Reads, and competes on the Model United Nations team.
Nancy Barrett, Fall 2022: Nancy is a senior pursuing an Environmental Science and Policy degree at the University of Maryland, College Park. She has been involved with several environmental campaigns on her college campus, including an effort to accelerate the campus’ divestment from fossil fuels. She is also the Vice President of UMD’s only environmental justice student organization, 17 for Peace & Justice.
Michael DiFabrizio, Fall 2022: Michael is a senior at The George Washington University studying political science and sustainability. He has written about issues related to climate-induced migration and climate change communication, and he is interested in climate change mitigation, energy policy, and water policy.
Jesse Ferraioli, Summer 2022: Jesse is a rising senior at Dartmouth College where she is majoring in Environmental Studies and Philosophy. At Dartmouth, she pursues groundwater research in the Southwestern U.S. and is also involved with sexual violence prevention work on campus. She is passionate about issues of indigenous sovereignty and feels grateful to assist on this important project. Following her graduation, Jesse intends to eventually attend law school to study water law.
Priyanka Mahat, Summer 2022: Priyanka is a rising junior at Brown University studying Environmental Studies and International and Public Affairs. From Kathmandu, Nepal, Priyanka is interested in the intersections of environmental justice, human rights and development studies, especially pertaining to the Global South. At Brown, she is a researcher at the Climate and Development Lab working on Comparative Analysis of Public Relations Campaigns on Climate Change. She is also a 4-year Bonner Fellowship awardee working with Social Enterprise Greenhouse RI. Priyanka is passionate about environmental justice and the rights of marginalized and indigenous populations and hopes to pursue a legal or professional career with advocacy at its forefront.
Nina Jeffries, Spring 2022: Nina studied Environmental Science and Policy with a concentration in economics at the University of Maryland, College Park. On campus, she served as the Director of Sustainability for the Student Government Association and the Secretary of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences. Nina interned at Our Children's Trust, the Maryland Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Justice. Nina plans to attend law school to study some mix of environmental, agricultural, energy and natural resources law.
Lily Byrne, Spring 2022: Lily majored in Economics and Arabic and minored in Sustainability Studies at the University of Maryland. Lily assisted with several projects at ELI, including historical research into the relationship between the state of California and Native American Tribes, the BRIGHT Guide and ELI’s Innovation Lab. Lily plans to attend law school and concentrate on energy and environmental policy.
Annalisse Eclipse, Fall 2021: Annalisse majored in Environment & Sustainability, with a concentration in Policy & Governance and a minor in Climate Change, at Cornell University. Annalisse grew up in southern California and is passionate about the intersection of environmental justice and policy. As part of the Cornell in Washington Program, Annalisse worked as a Research & Publications Intern at ELI in Fall 2021.
Support for this project was provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Policies for Action program and the Henry Luce Foundation. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of either Foundation.
