The Leadership of Women in Developing U.S. Environmental Law and Policy: What They Did, What It Meant, and Where It Is Going

An ELI WELL (Women in Environmental Law  & Leadership) 50^th Anniversary Seminar

While women have been critical to the development of environmental law and policy in the United States, those central contributions have been underreported and not well understood.  Women changed the course of American history through their leadership in the abolitionist, prohibition, suffragette, public health, and civil rights movements.  The techniques honed during those efforts influenced women shaping environmental law and policy. The challenges women faced in taking the lead in environmental law and policy in some ways are unique to the field—and even to each individual-- and in other ways mirror challenges faced by women in other disciplines.

ELI celebrated “Gender and the Environment” month in June as part of its 50^th Anniversary and presented a panel discussion of how women have shaped environmental law and policy in the United States, the impact of that work on women’s roles in the environmental field, what the experience meant for those who contributed, and what the future holds for environmental law and policy with women increasingly in leadership roles.

The panel discussion convened in Washington, DC, and was available by webinar. Gatherings at receptions after the panel discussion were held in Washington, DC, New York City, and San Francisco.  These events provided participants the opportunity to continue the discussion in those venues.

Panelists:
Kathy Robb, Principal, Sive, Paget & Riesel P.C. and Adjunct Environmental Law Professor, Elisabeth Haub School of Law, Pace University (Moderator)
Dianne Dillon-Ridgley, Director, Interface, Inc.
Linda Fisher, former Vice President, Safety, Health and Environment and Chief Sustainability Officer, DuPont and former Deputy Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Seema Kakade, Director, Environmental Law Clinic and Assistant Professor of Law, Francis King Carey School of Law, University of Maryland
Peggy Shepard, Co-Founder and Executive Director, WE ACT for Environmental Justice