our symposium Speakers
Persons are listed alphabetically by last name.
RANDALL S. ABATE, J.D., Assistant Dean Designate for Environmental Law Studies, The George Washington University Law School
Randall S. Abate, J.D., is the Assistant Dean Designate for Environmental Law Studies at The George Washington University Law School. As Assistant Dean, he brings 28 years of experience from six U.S. law schools and over 25 countries, teaching, writing, managing programs, and mentoring students on domestic and international law issues. From 2018-2022, he served as the inaugural Rechnitz Family and Urban Coast Institute Endowed Chair in Marine and Environmental Law and Policy and a Professor in the Department of Political Science and Sociology at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey, as well as the Director of the Institute for Global Understanding at Monmouth from 2020-2022. Mr. Abate has published six books and more than thirty law journal articles and book chapters on environmental and animal law topics, with a recent emphasis on climate change law and justice. He received his B.A. from the University of Rochester and his M.L.S. and J.D. from Vermont Law School.
PAUL D. BOEHM Ph.D., Principal Scientist, Environmental & Earth Sciences, Exponent
Paul D. Boehm, Ph.D., is a Principal Scientist in Environmental and Earth Sciences at Exponent where he serves as an environmental scientist and strategic advisor to clients on environmental issues. For over 45 years, he has conducted investigations for, consulted with, and advised industrial, legal, and government clients on scientific matters involving regulatory issues and legal claims associated with the releases of oil and hazardous chemical contaminants into the environment. Dr. Boehm is a leading practitioner and a recognized expert in the field of natural resource damage assessments (NRDA) for oil spills and contaminated sites. He has published extensively in scholarly journals, is an associate editor of two prestigious journals, and has been appointed to serve on several national panels on environmental/marine pollution and on several National Research Council panels. He received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Rochester, and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Oceanography from the University of Rhode Island.
CAS BRIDGE, Project Manager, Environmental, Chevron
Cas Bridge works in Chevron’s Technical Center as an environmental subject matter expert. Her primary focus is finding solutions to complex environmental problems that are a win-win for nature, communities, and business. She represents Chevron on the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s Nature Positive and Natural Climate Solutions workstreams and IPIECA’s Nature Positive Taskforce. Prior to starting at Chevron and earning her doctorate, she worked with various Native American tribes in Oklahoma to study and protect natural resources within their jurisdictions from agricultural and mining waste.
KEGAN A. BROWN, J.D., Partner, Latham & Watkins LLP
Kegan A. Brown, J.D., is a partner at Latham & Watkins LLP in the Litigation & Trial Department, based in New York. He represents clients in complex environmental regulatory and litigation matters, particularly involving contaminated sediment sites, natural resource damages, toxic torts, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Mr. Brown also advises buyers, sellers, lenders, and underwriters on a broad range of environmental issues in mergers, acquisitions, and financing transactions. He is recognized by several publications and directories as a leading environmental and toxic tort defense lawyer, including Chambers USA, The Legal 500 US, and Law360. He received his B.S. from the College of New Jersey and his J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law.
DAVID W. CHARTERS, Ph.D., Superfund Ecological Risk Program Manager, US Environmental Protection Agency
Dr. Charters is the Superfund Ecological Risk Program Manager in the Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation (OSRTI) and Ecological Risk Science Advisor to the Assistant Administrator or the Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM) at the US Environmental Protection Agency. As part of his job, Dr. Charters responds to chemical and WMD incidents and assists in the evaluation and remediation of these incidents. He works on national policy workgroups for OSRTI and OLEM and is the Project Officer for Interagency Agreements with some Natural Resource Trustees. Dr. Charters was also an author of the Superfund Ecological Risk Assessment Guidance for Superfund. Dr. Charters is also the Quality Assurance Manager for the Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation (OSRTI). Included in OSRTI, Dr. Charters oversees the quality program for the Environmental Response Team, the national Superfund Remedial Program and the Contract Laboratory Program. He received his B.S from Syracuse University and his Ph.D. from Binghampton University.
JOHN C. CRUDEN, J.D., Principal, Beveridge & Diamond
John C. Cruden, J.D., is a Principal at Beveridge & Diamond where he offers clients the benefit of decades of experience as a top environmental lawyer, a leader of major bar and environmental organizations, and a distinguished military career. He provides strategic counsel on high-stakes environmental and natural resources litigation, civil and criminal enforcement, and compliance. For more than two decades, Mr. Cruden served as a senior leader on environment and natural resource matters at the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), where he supervised some of the department’s most significant litigation, including the Exxon Valdez oil spill, Love Canal, and Bunker Hill litigation. As the Senate-confirmed, Assistant Attorney General, ENRD, Mr. Cruden worked on the most high-profile environment cases, and personally negotiated the multi-billion-dollar resolutions of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the Volkswagen emissions scandal. He received his B.S. from the United States Military Academy, M.A. in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia, and his J.D., summa cum laude from Santa Clara University.
JONATHAN DEASON, Ph.D., P.E., Co-Director, Environmental and Energy Management Institute, Lead Professor, Environmental and Energy Management graduate program, George Washington University
Jonathan Deason, Ph.D., P.E., is the Co-Director of the Environmental and Energy Management Institute and Lead Professor of the Environmental and Energy Management graduate program at George Washington University. Prior to joining GW, Dr. Deason was Vice President of Environmental Affairs at the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, a federation of 7,000 organizations engaged in transportation construction. Before that, he was Director, Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance at the U.S. Department of the Interior, where he managed nine regional offices across the nation and seven staff divisions in Washington, D.C. He has served as a member of the national Boards of Directors of the American Water Resources Association and the Renewable Natural Resources Foundation, and as President of the National Capital Section, American Society of Civil Engineers. He received his B.S. in Engineering from the U.S. Military Academy, his M.B.A. from the School of Business Administration at the Golden Gate University, his M.S. in Environmental Engineering from The Johns Hopkins University, and his Ph.D. in Environmental Systems Engineering from the University of Virginia.
KAROLIEN DEBUSSCHERE, PH.D., Deputy Coordinator, Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator Office, Department of Public Safety and Corrections, Public Safety Services; Chair, States NRD Alliance
Ms. Karolien Debusschere is the is the Duty Coordinator at the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office. She has served in this role for the past 20 years. She coordinates and organizes all Louisiana State programs related to oil spills. In addition, she coordinates policies between Louisiana and federal agencies, including the Coastal Restoration and Protection Authority, the Department of Wildlife & Fisheries, the Department of Environmental Quality, the Department of Natural Resources, the Coast Guard, and EPA. Her leadership was crucial during the Deepwater Horizon disaster. She is a former Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana board member. She obtained her B.S. in Geography from the University of Ghent, Belgium and her Doctorate Degree in Geomorphology from Louisiana State University.
WILLIAM H. DESVOUSGES, Ph.D., President, W.H. Desvousges & Associates, Inc.
William H. Desvousges, Ph.D., is the founder and president of W.H. Desvousges & Associates, Inc., located in St. Augustine, FL. Dr. Desvousges has conducted economic valuation studies (especially environmental) for more than 30 years. He specializes in natural resource damage assessment (NRDA), having worked on more than 35 assessments since 1987. Dr. Desvousges led major damage assessments for the hazardous-substance releases into the Clark Fork River (MT), Lavaca Bay (TX), and Fox River (WI). He has been retained on several PFOS/PFAS cases in the United States and in addition, has been admitted as an expert in measuring natural resource damages in federal court and qualified as an expert on NRDA and natural resource economics. Dr. Desvousges has been actively involved in the regulatory process for NRDA beginning with his co-authorship of the economics handbook for the DOI regulations. He has co-authored 4 books on natural resource economics and 69 peer-reviewed articles. He received his B.A. in Economics from Stetson University and his M.S. and Ph.D. from Florida State University.
H. JORDAN DIAMOND, J.D., President, Environmental Law Institute
H. Jordan Diamond, J.D. is the President of the Environmental Law Institute (ELI). ELI makes law work for people, places, and the planet by producing legal analysis, cross-sectoral dialogue, and educational initiatives that enable a healthy and just future. Prior to ELI, she was the Executive Director of UC Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, which designs and develops pragmatic policy solutions to environmental and energy issues, and where she helped launch initiatives including GrizzlyCorps and the California-China Climate Institute. She has received awards from the American Bar Association and ELI for her work on environmental and energy governance and, recognized for her work in marine policy, in 2018 was appointed by former California Governor Jerry Brown to serve on the California Ocean Protection Council. She received her B.A. in Earth and Environmental Sciences from Wesleyan University and her J.D. from the UC Berkeley School of Law.
ALEXANDRA DAPOLITO DUNN, J.D., Partner, Environmental, Safety, and Incident Response Group, Baker Botts LLP
Alexandra Dapolito Dunn, J.D., is a Partner for the Environmental, Safety, and Incident Response group at Baker Botts LLP with 27 plus years of practice at the local, state, and federal levels of government. Ms. Dapolito Dunn works with companies of all sizes – from multi-national corporations to startups – and with national organizations on environmental justice and risk communication, sustainability, the regulation and management of emerging contaminants, site cleanup and restoration, chemical regulations, enforcement and compliance assistance, and risk communication. From 2019-2021, with unanimous consent confirmation by the U.S. Senate, Ms. Dapolito Dunn served as Assistant Administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. She also served as EPA Administrator for New England from 2018-2019, where she focused on watersheds, enforcement, and environmental justice. Ms. Dapoito Dunn was ranked in 2022 by Chambers as one of the top attorneys in the environmental law field, and in 2021, the National Law Journal recognized her as an Energy and Environmental Trailblazer. She received her B.A. from James Madison University and her J.D. from the Catholic University of America.
JULIET EILPERIN, Deputy Editor, Climate & Environment Department, The Washington Post
Juliet Eilperin is Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who has worked for The Washington Post for nearly a quarter-century. Before becoming deputy editor of The Post’s Climate & Environment Department, she covered the White House, Congress, the environment, and a host of domestic and international policy matters. Ms. Eilperin helps oversee coverage of the struggle to manage a changing climate and planet, with a special focus on efforts – in Washington and around the world – to curb greenhouse gas emissions, cope with extreme weather, and shift to a fossil fuel-free economy. In her previous role as The Post’s senior national affairs correspondent, she shared the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting and the 2020 Society of Environmental Journalists’ Outstanding Explanatory Award (Large Newsroom or Circulation) for the series “2C: Beyond the Limit” and the 2021 Society of Environmental Journalists’ Outstanding Beat Reporting Award (Large Newsroom) for tracking Donald Trump’s environmental policies. She is the author of two books, "Demon Fish: Travels Through the Hidden World of Sharks" and "Fight Club Politics: How Partisanship is Poisoning the House of Representatives." She received her B.A. in politics, magna cum laude from Princeton University.
EMILY SANFORD FISHER, J.D., General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, Senior Vice President, Clean Energy, Edison Electric Institute
Emily Sanford Fisher, J.D., is the General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, and Senior Vice President of Clean Energy for the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) based in Washington, D.C. In this capacity, she is responsible for managing EEI’s litigation and legal affairs, covering a wide range of energy and environment regulatory and policy issues, at the state and federal level. She also oversees and coordinates strategic clean energy engagement across EEI and the federal government. Prior to joining EEI in 2008, Ms. Sanford Fisher was a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State serving at the U.S. Embassies in Bangkok, Thailand and Bogotá, Colombia. She also worked at the law firms Dewey Ballantine LLP and Dickstein Shapiro LLP in Washington, D.C., representing investor-owned electric companies and independent power producers in regulatory proceedings. She currently serves on the Keystone Energy Board and Energy Systems Integration Group’s Advisory Council for the Women’s Energy Network National Advisory Council. Ms. Sanford Fisher received her B.A. in international affairs from George Washington University and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.
SALLY R.K. FISK, J.D., Vice President, Assistant General Counsel, Chief Counsel of Environmental & Sustainability Law, Pfizer Inc.
Sally R. K. Fisk, J.D., is the Vice President, Assistant General Counsel, and Chief Counsel of Environmental & Sustainability Law at Pfizer Inc based in New York. In this role, she leads the team providing strategic legal counsel to Pfizer in protecting its employees, communities, and the environment, and promoting compliance with domestic and international environmental, health, safety, sustainability, and human rights requirements and emerging ESG obligations and norms. Ms. Fisk also provides oversight of Pfizer’s EHS and sustainability risk management framework and provides legal support for Pfizer’s philanthropic product donations. Prior to her current role, she was AGC & Chief Compliance Counsel for Pfizer Global Supply and a member of the manufacturing and supply executive team. Mrs. Fisk serves on the board of the Environmental Law Institute. She received her B.A. in Environmental Studies from Connecticut College, and her J.D., cum laude from American University, Washington School of Law.
DARRIN GAMBELIN, J.D., Partner, Downey Brand LLP
Darrin Gambelin, J.D., is a Partner in the San Francisco office of Downey Brand. He draws on more than 25 years of experience with California and federal environmental laws to assist clients in resolving a range of permitting, compliance, and regulatory enforcement issues. He routinely counsels clients on California’s rapidly evolving climate legislative and regulatory schemes. He advised the responsible party on all phases of the Refugio Beach Oil Spill, from the response through the settlement of the NRD claims. He received his B.S. in Environmental and Resource Sciences from the University of California at Davis and his J.D., cum laude, from the Santa Clara University School of Law.
BARBARA J. GOLDSMITH, Executive Director, Ad-Hoc Industry Natural Resource Management Group; President, Barbara J. Goldsmith & Company LLC
Barbara J. Goldsmith is Executive Director of the Ad-Hoc Industry Natural Resource Management Group and facilitated its founding in 1988 with a group of major multinational corporations. She is also President of Barbara J. Goldsmith & Company LLC, which has provided consulting services to major companies, law firms and others for over 25 years on high-level national and international energy and environmental policy matters and corporate environmental management strategy. In 2005, Ms. Goldsmith was appointed by the Interior Secretary to serve on the Department’s Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) Advisory Committee. The seminal book, The EU Environmental Liability Directive: A Commentary, of which she was co-editor and a co-author, was published by Oxford University Press. Ms. Goldsmith has had substantial experience with business and industry associations, major companies in all industrial sectors, the US Government, international agencies, EU Member States and other countries worldwide. She is a frequent speaker on environmental, energy, and natural resource topics and collaborates with a wide set of both public and private sector entities. Ms. Goldsmith was a Delegate to the United Nations Rio +20 Corporate Sustainability Forum and participated in the BASD Business Day Rio +20. She has worked for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, France, and she is the author of numerous publications on environmental regulatory issues affecting industry. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from The George Washington University and a Master of City Planning in Environmental Analysis from Harvard University, a joint degree program between the Harvard Schools of Public Health and Design and she is also an alumna of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
TIMOTHY HOELZLE, Deputy Director, Office of Restoration and Damage Assessment, US Department of the Interior
Timothy Hoelzele is the Deputy Director of the Office of Restoration and Damage Assessment at the US Department of the Interior. In his role, he supports the mission of the U.S. Department of the Interior's (DOI) Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Program (NRDA Restoration Program) is to restore natural resources injured as a result of oil spills or hazardous substance releases into the environment. Before coming to US DOI, Mr. Hoelzle was Vice President at Great Ecology where he served as a client and sales manager for large-scale restoration projects in the energy and mining sectors. These projects included permitting and habitat mitigation of a phosphate mine in Idaho, Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) for eleven projects across the United States, consultation to attorneys following contaminant releases and oil spills, and environmental mitigation for the expansion of Chatfield Reservoir in Colorado. Mr. Hoelzle received his B.S. and M.S. Colorado State University.
STEVEN JONES, Ph.D., Senior Ecologist, GHD (Retired)
Steven Jones, Ph.D., is a population and community ecologist with over 30 years experience in the consulting industry. His areas of expertise are natural resource damage assessment; ecological risk assessment; habitat creation, enhancement, and restoration; qualitative and quantitative functional assessments of terrestrial and wetland habitats, and biostatistics. He has extensive experience in designing and implementing ecological studies for a diversity of ecosystems throughout North American. His project experience includes evaluation of impacts of remedial actions on ecological resources and incorporation of compensatory restoration into remedial designs. Dr. Jones received his B.S. in Biology from Tulane University, his M.S. in Environmental Sciences from Texas Christian University, and his Ph.D in Ecology from the University of Nebraska‑Lincoln. Prior entering the consulting industry, he was a Guyer Post‑Doctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Zoology at the University Wisconsin‑Madison. He is a member of the Society of Toxicology and Environmental Chemistry and the Ecological Society of America and is a Certified Senior Ecologist.
EMILY JOSEPH, Director, Office of Restoration and Damage Assessment (ORDA), U.S. Department of Interior
Emily Joseph is the Director of the Office of Restoration and Damage Assessment (ORDA) at the U.S. Department of Interior where she has worked for the past 17 years. ORDA is responsible for overseeing the Department’s Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) program. Before becoming Director, Joseph’s main responsibilities were supervising the annual allocation process for cases working on damage assessments, as well as managing the office’s Information Management System which houses information about all the Department’s NRDAR cases. Prior to joining the office in 2014, she was in the Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance working on environmental and disposal liability issues. She received her undergraduate degree from American University and her M.P.A. from the University of Miami.
NATHANIEL, “NAT” KEOHANE, Ph.D., President, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions
Nathaniel “Nat” Keohane, Ph.D., is the President of Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), which is widely recognized in the United States and internationally as a leading, independent voice for practical policy and action to address the world’s energy and climate challenges. Dr. Keohane is an economist with more than 20 years of energy and environmental policy experience in academia, government, and the non-profit sector, most recently as Senior Vice President for Climate with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), where he led EDF’s research and policy advocacy on climate change in the United States and globally. In 2011-2012, Keohane served in the White House as Special Assistant to the President for Energy and Environment in the National Economic Council and Domestic Policy Council, helping to shape administration policy on energy and environmental issues. He received his B.A. from Yale College and his Ph.D. from Harvard University.
HEIDI KING, Research Professor, Regulatory Studies Center, The George Washington University
Heidi King is a research professor at the Regulatory Studies Center at George Washington University with extensive experience in the economics of regulation, public policy, risk management and, benefit-cost analysis. Professor King has served in four presidential administrations, most recently as Acting Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). She also served as Chief Economist for the Committee on Energy and Commerce in the U.S. House of Representatives and as deputy branch chief and senior analyst in the White House’s Office of Management and Budget. In the private sector, Professor King directed GE Capital’s global team of finance risk management professionals to assure responsible environmental health and safety risk management across a wide investment portfolio. She received her undergraduate degree in economics from the University of California at Irvine, and her M.S. in economics from the California Institute of Technology.
JASON C. KINNELL, Principal Economist and Founding Partner, Veritas Economic Consulting
Jason C. Kinnell is a Principal Economist and Founding Partner of Veritas Economics (Veritas), a firm specializing in the design and development of economic models to evaluate complex market and non-market valuation challenges. Mr. Kinnell has nearly 25 years of experience applying economic analysis in natural resource damage assessment and restoration (NRDAR) evaluations, exposure assessments, regulatory compliance, regulatory impact analysis, policy analysis, and new product adoption. He has worked on natural resource damage assessments and restoration evaluations associated with oil spills; single-party, single-chemical sites; and multiple-party, multiple-chemical sites on the East, West, and Gulf Coasts of the U.S.; the Great Lakes; and numerous inland rivers and lakes. As part of these efforts he has evaluated the potential natural resource damages associated with ecological, recreational, property value, shipping, and transportation service losses, and he has evaluated the benefits of compensatory restoration efforts designed to offset the estimated service losses. Mr. Kinnell is a co-author of A Common Tragedy: History of an Urban River and has numerous peer-reviewed articles in professional economic, environmental, energy, engineering, and risk journals including the Journal of Water Resource Planning and Management, Risk Analysis, The Electricity Journal, Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Environmental Science and Policy, Power, The North American Journal of Fisheries Management, and Land Economics. Mr. Kinnell earned his M.S. in Economics from The Pennsylvania State University and his B.A. in Economics from Hampden-Sydney College.
SCOTT LUNDGREN, Director, Office of Response & Restoration, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Scott Lundgren is the Director of the Office of Response & Restoration (OR&R) in the National Ocean Service within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He is responsible for overseeing NOAA’s efforts to protect and restore ocean and coastal resources from the impacts of oil, chemicals, marine debris, disasters, and other hazards through leadership, training, and time-critical services. Prior to his appointment as the OR&R director in 2019, Mr. Lundgren led the office’s Emergency Response Division (ERD) providing scientific support for coastal oil and chemical spill preparedness and response nationwide. Before joining NOAA in 2015, he served as a 23-year civilian employee of the Coast Guard in several environmental response and incident management positions from the field to headquarters. Mr. Lundgren received his B.S. in Biology and Environmental Studies from Tufts University, his master’s degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College, and his master’s degree in Natural Resources Management/Biology from the Harvard University Extension School.
ROGER MARTELLA, Vice President, Chief Sustainability Officer; Former General Counsel, US Environmental Protection Agency
Roger Martella is Vice President, Chief Sustainability Officer for the General Electric Company. In this role, Mr. Martella coordinates GE’s mission-critical focus on contributing technology and innovation solutions to the global challenges of the energy transition and climate change, precision health, and the future of flight. He leads efforts to operationalize the Company’s ESG actions and engagement with diverse stakeholders to implement solutions toward these global challenges with the same heightened rigor that GE runs its businesses. Prior to GE, Mr. Martella co-lead Sidley Austin LLP's tier 1 ranked global environmental law and climate change practices. Prior to Sidley, he was General Counsel of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where he was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate, and the Principal Counsel for Complex Litigation for the Justice Department’s Natural Resources Section. Mr. Martella currently teaches a first of its kind International Environmental Law and Justice class at Howard University Law School. Several ranking organizations have awarded Roger their top ratings and hall of fame recognitions for environmental and climate change law globally and in the United States. He has co-authored and edited four books on the intersections of climate change law, international environmental law, human rights, and ESG, including co-editing the recently published Corporate Social Responsibility— Sustainable Business: Environmental, Social and Governance Frameworks for the 21st Century (Wolters Kluwer 2020) and has addressed the United Nations, Congress, and other entities on these topics on many occasions. Roger received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and his J.D. from Vanderbilt Law School, where he was editor in chief of the Vanderbilt Law Review.
JEAN MARTIN, J.D., Senior Counsel, Litigation and Dispute Resolution, BP Legal Department
Jean Martin, J.D. is Senior Counsel, Litigation and Dispute Resolution with BP. Ms. Martin advises the company’s in-house remediation management team, collaborating with in-house specialists, external experts, and legal counsel to evaluate, litigate, and resolve environmental remediation and natural resource damage claims against bp and its subsidiaries. She has defended the company against some of the largest and most complex natural resource damage claims brought in the US, including claims arising from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. She also defends the company against remediation and restoration claims at complex mega-sites, including mining, smelting, refining and multi-party river contamination sites. Jean has negotiated several settlements that coordinated remedy and restoration, in circumstances where coordination provided a cost-effective solution to disputed claims that also enabled restoration to begin at an earlier date. Ms. Martin has been providing legal advice on remediation and natural resource damage issues to bp and its subsidiaries for over 20 years, working in their Los Angeles, Chicago, London and Houston offices. Before that, she was an associate attorney at Sidley Austin and at Pillsbury Madison & Sutro (now Pillsbury Winthrop). Ms. Martin received her undergraduate degree in history from Cornell University and her J.D. from Harvard Law School.
JEFFREY N. MARTIN, J.D., Partner, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP
Jeffrey N. Martin, J.D., is a Partner at Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP. He has devoted the past four decades to the field of environmental law, litigating many of the legal issues that govern today’s practice and drafting the original version of agreements widely used today in CERCLA proceedings. A nationally recognized figure in Superfund, natural resource damage, and toxic tort litigation, Mr. Martin has focused on complex, multiparty environmental cases since he began in private practice. He is a first-chair litigator who has also mediated environmental disputes and served as a mediator himself. Mr. Martin represents waste management firms, electric utilities, consumer product manufacturers, and chemical and paper companies. After serving as an editor of Harvard’s first Environmental Law Review in 1977, he went on to clerk for US District Judge John H. Pratt in 1978, and has been in private practice in Washington, DC since 1979. He received his B.A., summa cum laude in Government from Lawrence University, and his J.D. from Harvard Law School.
DAYNA BOWEN MATTHEW, J.D., Ph. D., Dean and Harold H. Greene Professor of Law, The George Washington University Law School
Dayna Bowen Matthew, JD, PhD, is the Dean and Harold H. Greene Professor of Law at the George Washington University Law School. A leader in public health and civil rights law who focuses on disparities in health, health care, and the social determinants of health, Dean Matthew joined GW Law in 2020. She is the author of the bestselling book “Just Medicine: A Cure for Racial Inequality in American Health Care,” and the recently released “Just Health: Treating Structural Racism to Heal America,” and is the co-author of a case book on public health law, ethics, and policy. Dean Matthew graduated with an AB in economics from Harvard-Radcliffe and obtained a JD from the University of Virginia. While studying at Virginia, Dean Matthew served as an Editor of the Virginia Law Review, won the law school’s William Minor Lile Moot Court Competition, and taught as a Hardy Dillard Writing Fellow. Following graduation, she clerked for Justice John Charles Thomas, the first African American justice to sit on the Virginia Supreme Court. In 2018, she received a PhD in health and behavioral sciences from the University of Colorado at Denver.
LISA PALMER, Journalist, Author, National Geographic Research Progressor of Science Communication, George Washington University
Lisa Palmer is a journalist, author, and National Geographic Research Progressor of Science Communication at the George Washington University, where she is the senior editor and education lead for Planet Forward, GW’s award-winning project of the Center for Innovative Media at the School of Media and Public Affairs. Palmer participates actively in the national and international discourse on science and socio-environmental issues through writing and publishing, speaking, developing and leading seminars, contributing to digital media, and offering analysis and science communications strategy to research teams. She is an award-winning journalist and writes for publications such as the Nature family of journals, Yale E360, The Guardian, Nautilus, The New York Times, The New Republic, Ensia, Slate, and many others. She is the author of HOT, HUNGRY PLANET: The Fight to Stop a Global Food Crisis in the Face of Climate Change (St. Martin’s Press; 2017). She received her degrees from Boston University and Simmons College in Boston.
TONY PENN, Chief, Assessment and Restoration Division, US Department of Commerce/National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Tony Penn is the Chief of NOAA’s Assessment and Restoration Division (ARD) and the co-lead of NOAA’s Damage Assessment, Remediation, and Restoration Program. As the Chief of ARD, Tony leads NOAA's nation-wide group of professionals, including scientists and economists, who are responsible for evaluating coastal habitats and resources injured by hazardous waste releases, oil spills, and vessel groundings. Tony has been with NOAA working on damage assessment issues since 1997. Until assuming the Chief role in December, 2015, Tony was the Deputy Division Chief of the Assessment and Restoration Division for the previous eight years. Formerly, Tony managed ARD's SE Region where he worked directly with scientists and economists to address coastal pollution and physical impacts from waste sites, oil spills, and vessel groundings. Previous to this position, Tony was a natural resource economist conducting damage assessment work primarily in the Gulf Coast and Caribbean regions with a focus on restoration scaling, including Habitat Equivalency Analysis, and recreational impact assessment. Tony received his B.S. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin and M.S. in Agricultural and Resource Economics from the University of Maryland.
KRISTIN ROBROCK, Ph.D., P.E., Managing Engineer, Environmental Sciences, Exponent
Kristin Robrock, Ph.D., is a Managing Engineer in Exponent’s Environmental Sciences practice based in Oakland, California. Dr. Robrock is an environmental engineer who specializes in the fate and transport of chemicals in the environment. Her expertise is in emerging contaminants, including PFAS and brominated flame retardants, as well as conventional contaminants such as chlorinated solvents in soil and groundwater. She specializes in environmental forensics, reconstructing environmental releases to determine the sources, timing, and mechanisms of contaminant releases and identifying other potential sources of contamination. She obtained her B.S. in Earth and Environmental Engineering from Columbia University, and her M.S., and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
JEFFREY ROSE, Vice President, Government Affairs and Public Policy, Battelle
Jeffrey Rose is the Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Policy for Battelle’s Contract Research Organization. In this role, Mr. Rose is responsible for the development and execution of outreach, advocacy, and strategy before Congress, federal agencies, and elected officials. He works closely with senior leaders within the business to develop and advance Battelle’s budget, policy and legislative priorities. Prior to joining Battelle in June of 2018, Mr. Rose served two terms running New Hampshire state agencies as a cabinet-level appointee. His agencies were responsible for the economic development, travel & tourism, parks & recreation, forestry & land management, and cultural resources within the Granite State. Prior to his appointments in New Hampshire, he spent nine years working for BAE Systems Electronic Solutions Sector based in Nashua, New Hampshire in a variety of government relations and public affairs roles. Jeff graduated from Marist College with degrees in Political Science and Communications.
LANA ROWENKO, J.D., Special Counsel, Kelley Drye
Lana Rowenko, J.D., is a Special Counsel at Kelley Drye, where her practice focuses on environmental litigation as well as commercial litigation. Ms. Rowenko’s environmental practice includes representing states and sovereigns in complex environmental litigation involving natural resource damages, recovery under federal environmental statutes, and economic damages arising under state tort law. She also has experience representing companies before state administrative bodies related to environmental permitting. She has represented multiple states and sovereign territories as special counsel in the multi-district litigation arising from PFAS contamination related to use of aqueous fire-fighting foam (AFFF), as well as litigation in state courts arising from contamination from per- and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFAS) from industrial and other uses. Prior to joining Kelley Drye, Ms. Rowenko practiced in the area of securities litigation, enforcement, and investigations. She received her B.A., magna cum laude in International Studies from American University and her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.
J. BARTON “BART” SEITZ, J.D., Senior Counsel, Baker Botts, LLP
J. Barton (Bart) Seitz is Senior Counsel with Baker Botts LLP. He handles a wide range of environmental, health and safety matters, including regulatory counseling, complex litigation and transactions. Mr. Seitz has particular experience in advising corporate and public sector clients regarding complex regulatory compliance and enforcement issues arising under the major federal environmental, health and safety statutes, including the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the Clean Water Act, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act, the Clean Air Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act. With respect to environmental counseling, Mr. Seitz regularly advises clients regarding the myriad regulatory, permitting and enforcement issues associated with consumer/industrial product stewardship, hazardous waste generation, treatment, storage and disposal; the corrective action requirements for hazardous waste facilities and underground storage tanks; wastewater discharges from various types of industrial operations; and the use, manufacture, processing and import/export of chemical substances under TSCA. He holds a A.B., Economics & History from College of William and Mary and a J.D. from The George Washington University Law School.
REBECCA STEVENS, Restoration Coordinator/Program Manager, Hazardous Waste Management Program, Coeur d'Alene Tribe
Rebecca Stevens is the Program Manager for the Coeur D’Alene Tribe’s Lake Mgt. Department-Hazardous Waste Management Program. She also serves the role as the Restoration Coordinator with the Restoration Partnership. Rebecca has been working on water quality related issues for over 15 years and in 2009, she was co-author of the Coeur d'Alene Lake Management Plan. Rebecca represents the Tribe in the Bunker Hill Mining and Metallurgical Complex Superfund Site working with EPA while implementing their remedy for the Basin. She is also the Tribe’s technical representative on the Restoration Partnership for which all Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) claims have been settled and on the ground restoration work will commence in 2019. Rebecca continues to work with other Tribes on NRDA issues while coordinating with the United States Department of the Interior.
THEODORE “TED” TOMASI, Ph.D., Managing Principal, Integral Consulting Inc.
Theodore (Ted) Tomasi, Ph.D. is Managing Principal with Integral Consulting Inc. He has more than 30 years of experience as a natural resource economist, specializing in the valuation of natural resources and environmental changes, risk management in the context of use decisions regarding resource use, and benefit–cost analysis. Before beginning his consulting career, he served on the faculties of the University of Minnesota, University of Michigan, and Michigan State University, where he taught and conducted research on environmental policy analysis, decision-making under uncertainty, and methods for valuing ecosystem services. For the past 20 years, Dr. Tomasi has been a consultant to large private companies on environmental decision-making, including issues related to net environmental benefits of remedial decisions, the value of information in managing risks, and liability management in environmental damage cases. He has provided litigation support and expert testimony on natural resource values in numerous such matters, large and small. Dr. Tomasi received his B.A. in Environment and Public Policy and M.A. in Economics from the University of Colorado, Boulder and his Ph.D. in Natural Resource Economics from the University of Michigan.
ROBERT R. TWILLEY, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, College of Coast and Environment, Louisiana State University
Robert R. Twilley, Ph.D., has been a Professor in the Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences at the College of Coast and Environment, Louisiana State University since 2004. He has served LSU in several administrative capacities including Executive Director of the Louisiana Sea Grant College Program (2012 to 2021), Associate Vice Chancellor of Research and Economic Development (2007-2010) and Director of the Wetland Biogeochemistry Institute (2004-2007). Dr. Twilley founded the LSU Coastal Sustainability Studio (2009). He served as President of Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation in 2017-19 and was the recipient of the National Wetlands Award in Science Research by the Environmental Law Institute in 2017. He received his B.S. and M.S. from East Carolina University, his Ph.D. from the University of Florida and post-doctoral studies at Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland, Center for Environmental Studies.
