Environmental Law Program
Staff

Pat Gallagher, Director
Pat Gallagher is the director of the Environmental Law Program, and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the program, including courtroom litigation and the administration of the Club's nationwide docket. Pat joined the Sierra Club as a senior attorney in 1999 after toiling in private practice for ten years. He attended both college and law school at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and in between worked as a professional auto mechanic in Chico, California. Pat's other interests consist mainly of fathering three daughters, with a bit of Afro-Cuban drumming on the side.

Bruce Nilles, National Coal Campaign Director
Bruce joined the Sierra Club in 2002 and currently directs its National Coal Campaign, the largest component of Sierra Club's new Climate Recovery Campaign. The national coal campaign is working to reduce America's over reliance on coal, slash coal's contribution to global warming and other pollution woes, end destructive mining, and secure massive investments in clean energy alternatives. Bruce previously worked as a staff attorney for Earthjustice's San Francisco office, and during the Clinton Administration as Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice's Environment and Natural Resources Division in Washington D.C. He received his J.D. and B.S. degrees from the University of Wisconsin.

David Bookbinder, Senior Attorney
David Bookbinder is Sierra Club's Chief Climate Counsel, and is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of Chicago Law School. After several years on Wall Street (and a failed attempt at writing the Great American Novel) he began practicing public interest environmental law, first in Boston and then in Washington DC. He has litigated cases under most of the federal environmental statutes and, after joining Sierra Club in 2002, is now responsible for the Club's climate litigation and legal issues arising from global warming legislation. David lives in the woods with one spouse, two children, a cat, two rabbits, some fish, a dog, and two goats, and his answer to the 2000 Census question as to his "most important work duties" was "suing the Federal Government."

Eric. E. Huber, Senior Attorney
Eric E. Huber is a senior attorney based in the Boulder, Colorado regional office. He has practiced environmental law for 23 years, with an emphasis on litigation under the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the laws protecting the National Forests. Before joining the Sierra Club, he was a staff attorney with Earthjustice, the Georgia Center for Law in the Public Interest, and in private practice. Eric earned his J.D. in 1985 from the University of Colorado School of Law, and his B.A. in 1982 from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he majored in Philosophy and Environmental Conservation.

Aaron Isherwood, Senior Attorney
Aaron Isherwood is the coordinating attorney for the Environmental Law Program. His responsibilities include helping chapters and other Club entities obtain approval for proposed litigation. He graduated from the University of Chicago and the University of Oregon School of Law. After graduating from college, Aaron spent a summer on the "slime line" in an Alaskan cannery, and eventually landed at Greenpeace in Chicago, where he worked for over 3 years. Aaron decided to go to law school when he learned from a prominent forest activist that court injunctions have saved more ancient forests than tree spikes. Before joining the Sierra Club as an associate attorney in 1999, Aaron clerked for the honorable Robert Durham of the Oregon Supreme Court, and also worked for the San Francisco-based law firm Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger.

Sanjay Narayan, Senior Attorney
Sanjay Narayan joined the Sierra Club as a staff attorney in 2002. Before coming to the Sierra Club, Sanjay worked for the Northern Rockies office of Earthjustice in Bozeman, Montana, and for Farella Braun Martel LLP in San Francisco. Sanjay received an A.B. in Public and International Affairs from Princeton University in 1991, along with a certificate in Soviet Studies. The Soviet Union disintegrated shortly thereafter. Sanjay swears that it wasn't his fault. He received a J.D. from Yale Law School in 1995, and clerked for the honorable Robert Eastaugh on the Alaska Supreme Court.

Joanne Spalding, Senior Attorney
The Sierra Club was over 100 years old when it hired Joanne Spalding as its second staff attorney. By then, all the original promising applicants had died, so Joanne had the privilege of filling the position. She worked at the Club from 1994 to 1996 before entering private practice, where she represented labor unions against polluting employers and insureds against greedy insurance companies. She returned to the Club in 2000, just in time to help prevent the return of the environmental dark ages. Joanne received her B.A. from Northwestern University, and her J.D. from the University of California's Hastings College of the Law. She clerked for the Honorable Melvin Brunetti of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Kristin Henry, Staff Attorney
Kristin Henry first joined the Sierra Club's Environmental Law Program as a law student intern. After receiving her law degree from Golden Gate University School of Law in May 2002 (and then taking a well deserved trip to Greece) she became the Law Program's first Environmental Law Fellow. After serving as both an intern and a fellow, Kristin is now an Environmental Law Program Staff Attorney. Kristin spent her undergraduate years at Boston University obtaining a degree in environmental policy and analysis. Upon graduation she traveled throughout South America. She took a position as a Campaign Director with the Public Interest Research Group, and then began attending night law school. Kristin lives in San Francisco and enjoys being known as one of the few environmentalists who would never be caught wearing Birkenstocks.

Andrea Issod, Staff Attorney
Andrea Issod spent two years at the Sierra Club as an environmental law fellow and returned to the Club in June 2008 as a staff attorney. Following graduation from UC Berkeley School of Law in 2003, where she served as editor-in-chief of the Ecology Law Quarterly, Andrea clerked for the Honorable Gary L. Taylor, United States District Judge for the Central District of California. She also spent a year and a half litigating large tort cases involving groundwater contamination at a small plaintiff's firm. Andrea obtained her undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering, but found herself significantly more interested in her environmental law and policy electives. During the summer after her junior year, she gave campfire talks and manned the visitor center at the Kaibab National Forest on North Rim of the Grand Canyon and confirmed her desire to pursue a career in environmental protection. Now that there is one in the White House, Andrea is prouder than ever to say she was also a community organizer in Camden, NJ with the goal of empowering communities to improve urban water quality.

Devorah Ancel, Environmental Law Fellow
Devorah joined the Sierra Club as an Environmental Law Fellow in 2008, but this is not her first stint with the Club. Ten years ago, Devorah began her environmental career as the Club's assistant to the Board of Directors and then moved on to be a grant writer in the Club's conservation department. Devorah earned her undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis, her J.D. from Vermont Law School, and her masters of environmental management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Prior to law school, Devorah spent many days on the San Francisco Bay as manager of Save The Bay's canoe-based watershed education programs. During her free time, Devorah can still be found somewhere on the water, paddling with orcas in B.C. or just cruising around the Bay.

Holly Bressett, Environmental Law Fellow
Holly Bressett joined the Sierra Club in 2007 as an Environmental Law Fellow. Holly received her undergraduate degree in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. She completed her J.D. at Golden Gate University in San Francisco. This is Holly's second stint at the Sierra Club. She worked at the club during law school, as well as at the California Coastal Commission, Earthjustice and the Environmental Law and Justice Clinic. Holly's passion for the outdoors stems from her rural New England roots, where she spent most of her time hiking in hardwood forests and fishing in freshwater streams. She decided to trade in frigid winters for a more temperate climate and now considers San Francisco home. You may see Holly at the farmers market looking for culinary inspiration, getting lost in Golden Gate Park, or at a local café, bragging about her master tractor driving skills.

Doug Hayes, Environmental Law Fellow
Doug Hayes joined the Sierra Club as an environmental law fellow in 2009. Doug earned his B.A. from the University of Colorado at Boulder and his J.D. from Vermont Law School, and clerked for the Honorable Jane Tidball of the Colorado District Court. During law school, he worked at the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic and the Vermont Natural Resources Council, and spent a summer in rural El Salvador helping to challenge a proposed gold mine in the country's most important watershed. Aside from his work at the Club, Doug's all-time favorite job was a four-year stint as a ferry boat captain on Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park. Doug now works in the Boulder regional office, where he focuses on litigation involving dirty fuels and resilient habitats.

Peter Morgan, Environmental Law Fellow
Peter Morgan joined the Sierra Club in September 2008 as an Environmental Law Fellow. Peter's work with the Club focuses on combatting the destructive practice of mountaintop removal coal mining. Peter received his JD from Stanford Law School, his MS from Stanford's Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources, and his BA from Middlebury College. Before coming to the Club, Peter completed a clerkship with Justice Walter Carpeneti of the Alaska Supreme Court. Peter has also worked for the Nature Conservancy, where he managed the Massachusetts Islands Program, and with the Natural Capital Project, a joint venture of TNC, the World Wildlife Fund, and Stanford. Peter enjoys running, cycling, hiking, cooking and exaggerating stories about his encounters with charismatic megafauna.

Elena Saxonhouse, Environmental Law Fellow
Elena joined the Sierra Club in 2008 as a law fellow. She arrived at the Club after two years with the law firm Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger, where she counseled community groups and public agencies on land use and environmental matters. Elena previously worked as an associate attorney in the Washington, D.C. office of Earthjustice, and as a law clerk for the Honorable Ellen Segal Huvelle of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. She graduated from Stanford Law School and Yale University. Beyond using the law to save the planet, Elena's favorite activities include birding, being an aunt, attending live music shows, and regularly planning to go to yoga class. Her greatest life accomplishment to date is cycling across the U.S., through many of the stunning places Sierra Club works to protect.

Craig Segall, Environmental Law Fellow
Craig Segall started at the Sierra Club in 2008 as an environmental law fellow. Before coming to the Club, Craig was a law clerk to the Honorable Marsha S. Berzon of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago and of Stanford Law School, where he spent most of his time in the basement working with Stanford’s environmental law clinic. When not practicing law, Craig keeps busy outdoors. In recent years, he has barely beaten a 12-year-old to the top of Mount Whitney, accidentally driven transmission-deep into a salt lake, and, on an ill-advised hike in South Africa, provoked a surprisingly aggressive ostrich.

Kathleen Krust, Paralegal
Kathleen Krust is a paralegal at the Sierra Club Environmental Law Program. A native of New Orleans, Kathleen moved to San Francisco after graduating from U.C. Santa Barbara with a degree in Law and Society. She formerly worked as a paralegal in a San Francisco law firm before joining the Sierra Club in August 2001. When not doing her best to save the environment, Kathleen enjoys travel, soccer, hiking, and anything else that has to do with the outdoors.

Sara Breckenridge, Paralegal
Sara joined the law program as an administrative assistant in 2007 and has since worked her way up to paralegal. An alumni of San Francisco State University, Sara studied anthropology and journalism before stumbling upon the school's environmental studies program. She switched her major to sustainability and social justice and never looked back. Upon realizing that lawyers run the world but lacking the desire to become one, Sara enrolled in a paralegal credential program so she could help the outnumbered and overworked attorneys who endeavor in the public interest. She is the law program's resident radical hippie and conspiracy theorist, and is known to be even more argumentative than the attorneys. With a rebellious spirit and love of nature inherited from her mother and grandmother, Sara jumped at the chance to work at the Sierra Club. Her biggest regret in life is being born too late to follow the Grateful Dead on tour.

Hadley Davis, Program Assistant
Hadley joined the Environmental Law Program in January 2008. She graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara in September 2007 with a degree in Political Science/ International relations and a minor in Spanish. She worked as a receptionist at Sideman and Bancroft, LLP before coming to the Sierra Club to pursue her interest in environmental law. When not at work, Hadley enjoys reading, playing the piano and learning to snowboard.

Megan Greenwood, Program Assistant
Megan joined the Law Program as a Program Assistant in 2008, after previously working with the DC Operations and Responsible Trade Programs. A graduate from American University (Washington DC), with a degree in Political Science and Legal Institutions, Megan is excited to continue working for the Club in her new capacity. Born and raised in Boulder, Colorado, Megan was brought up to be an environmentally minded citizen. Over the years she has survived Colorado blizzards, narrowly avoided falling trees when caught in the middle of a territorial battle between male Orangutans in Borneo, snorkeled in the Great Barrier Reef and even found time to feed Chipmunks in Estes Park, Colorado. When not working for the Club, Megan spends her time traveling, running, cooking, telling people that yes, the curls are natural and exploring the beautiful areas surrounding Washington DC (yes, they do exist).

Violet Lehrer, Program Assistant
Violet joined the Environmental Law Program in May of 2008. She graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2007 with a degree in Environmental Studies and focus in National Environmental Policy and Law. In college Violet also studied Spanish, picking up some Chilean slang and unfortunately a chocopanda(mullet) during her time in Santiago. When not in the office, Violet can be found knitting, picnicking, studying languages, and appreciating the culinary delights of the Bay Area.

Katie Schaefer, Program Assistant
Katie joined the Environmental Law Program in July, 2009. She graduated from Georgetown University in 2008 with a degree in Science, Technology and International Affairs. After college, she received a Fulbright grant to research traditional ecological knowledge in an indigenous community in Mexico. Katie enjoys climbing pyramids, exploring the redwood forests of her California hometown and dabbling in amateur farming. She is particularly enthusiastic to learn about environmental law through the Sierra Club's work protecting wild places and preventing climate change.

Amber Williams, Program Assistant
Amber Williams is a recent addition to the ELP as the new Program Assistant in the Boulder Colorado Office. She graduated from Central Washington University, with a double major in Political Science/Public Policy, and a minor in Economics. A native Washingtonian, yet nomadic by nature, Amber also studied public policy in Ireland for a year. Amber is excited to be back in the professional world and supporting the law program's important work. When not working for the Club, Amber spends her time dabbling in too many things, but aspires to having as much fun as possible no matter what it is she does.