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.

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.

Gloria Smith, Senior Attorney
Gloria D. Smith is a senior staff attorney currently advocating for renewable energy and coal plant retirement before public utility commissions and courts nationwide. Gloria received her BA in environmental science at the University of California, Santa Barbara and her JD and certificate in environmental law at Lewis and Clark College of Law in Portland, Oregon. Before joining the Sierra Club, Gloria worked for four years in the Department of Interior's solicitor's office in Washington, D.C. where she represented the Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service before FERC. In 2001, she found herself a very reluctant participant in Dick Cheney's energy task force, and knew it was time to return to the West and make amends. Gloria spent several years prior to joining the Club honing her trial skills at a plaintiffs' litigation firm in Burlingame, CA. Recently, Gloria switched from backpacking to whitewater boating on grounds that the latter offers more expansive food and drink options without compromising wilderness and wildlife opportunities.

Joanne Spalding, Senior Attorney
Joanne Spalding manages the Sierra Club’s climate litigation and oversees legal efforts in support of natural gas reform. She was the Sierra Club’s first Environmental Law Fellow from 1994 to 1996 and returned in 2000. In between,she worked in private practice representing labor unions against polluting employers and insureds against avaricious insurance companies. She 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.

Joshua Stebbins, Senior Attorney
Joshua Stebbins is the Senior Attorney in the Washington DC Office. He has practiced environmental law at Meyer Glitzenstein & Crystal and previously at Wilmer Hale. He graduated magna cum laude, Order of the Coif from New York University School of law, clerked for the Hon. Joseph. A. DiClerico of the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire. He received his undergraduate degree in Biology from Johns Hopkins University. In his spare time Josh enjoys hiking, garlic, and mostly being a dad.

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 Associate Attorney. 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.

Robb Kapla, Staff Attorney
Robb joined the Sierra Club as a Staff Attorney in 2011. He arrived at the Sierra Club after two years on fellowship as a Clinical Lecturer and Supervising Attorney for Stanford Law School’s Environmental Law Clinic, where he taught and practiced environmental and land use law. Prior to Stanford, Robb practiced at a big firm for four years. Robb received a BA in Human Biology and an MS in Earth Systems from Stanford and a JD from UCLA School of Law. Between grad school and law school, Robb was a physical scientist studying natural resource management and land use decision making for the US Geological Survey. Robb enjoys soccer, surfing, snowboarding, and playing guitar and drums, though he claims proficiency in none of these ventures.

Elena Saxonhouse, Staff Attorney
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.

Matt Vespa, Staff Attorney
Matt is a staff attorney at the Sierra Club focusing on clean energy in the western United States. Prior to joining the Sierra Club, Matt spent four years at the Center for Biological Diversity where he primarily worked on climate-related law and policy in California. Matt has also practiced environmental and land-use law on behalf of public agencies and citizen groups and served as a law clerk at the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York. Matt holds a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, where he was elected Order of the Coif, a master’s in conservation biology from the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s in biology from the University of Pennsylvania. Matt was also a Peace Corps volunteer in Paraguay where he worked with local farmers on sustainable forestry practices, learned to speak Guaraní, and developed an addiction to yerba mate that persists to this day. In his spare time, Matt enjoys yoga, cycling, and finding excuses to dress up like the various members of the Village People.

Devorah Ancel, Associate Attorney
Devorah joined the Sierra Club Environmental Law Program as a Law Fellow in 2008, but this was not her first stint with the Club. In 1998, 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. Now, Devorah manages the Club's legal response to the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico and works on other legal actions that seek to halt our nation's dependence on oil and other dirty fuels. 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 British Columbia or just cruising around the Bay.

Josh Berman, Associate Attorney
Josh Berman joined the Sierra Club as an associate attorney in September 2011. Before wending his way to the Club, Josh spent two years at the Natural Resources Defense Council working on coal-related and other litigation and clerked for the Honorable M. Blane Michael on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Charleston, West Virginia. He completed a joint J.D./Master of Environmental Science degree at Yale, where he also did his undergraduate work. Josh likes to birdwatch, compose music, and play ultimate frisbee, though not at the same time.

Zack Fabish, Associate Attorney
In October 2010, Zack Fabish joined the Sierra Club as a project attorney, focusing his efforts on coal retirement in the northeast. Before joining the Club, Zack did civil litigation work for a bay area law firm. Zack earned his BA from Whitman College, and his JD from Stanford Law School. In his spare time, Zack enjoys backpacking, glassblowing, and a small handful of other gerunds generally fitting into the larger category of "outdoors-y noncompetitive".

Brianna Fairbanks, Associate Attorney
Brianna Fairbanks joined the Sierra Club in 2011 as an Associate Attorney, after interning with the Sierra Club's Environmental Law Program during the summer of 2005. Brianna focuses her efforts on stopping proposals for giant coal export terminals that would ship U.S. coal to foreign markets. After graduating from the University of Oregon School of Law in 2007, Brianna completed an Honors Attorney Fellowship with Region 3 of the Environmental Protection Agency in Philadelphia. Prior to joining the Sierra Club, Brianna was a fellow with the firm of Shute, Mihaly, and Weinberger, LLC where her practice focused on land use law. Brianna loves hiking, particularly in the lush forests of the Pacific Northwest where she is from, and is an avid knitter and crafter.

Ellen Medlin, Associate Attorney
Ellen joined the Environmental Law Program in 2011 as an Associate Attorney. Before coming to the Club, she clerked for the Honorable Raymond C. Fisher on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Ellen earned her undergraduate degree from Brown University and her J.D. from Stanford Law School, where she was active in environmental student groups and the environmental law clinic, and served as editor-in-chief of the Stanford Environmental Law Journal. Along with her law degree, Ellen also earned an M.S. in environment and resources, with a focus on the relationship between land use law and climate policy. During law school, she worked as a summer clerk at Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger and at the Southern Environmental Law Center, where she assisted with natural resources litigation and worked intensively on an initiative to improve mass transit in the Raleigh-Durham area. Although still very fond of her native North Carolina, Ellen loves California with the fervor of a convert, and spends as much time as she can running, hiking, and cycling its many lovely roads and trails.

Craig Segall, Associate Attorney
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.

Doug Hayes, Associate Attorney
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, Associate Attorney
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.

Nathan Matthews, Associate Attorney
Nathan Matthews joined the Sierra Club in May 2011 as an Associate Attorney. His previous work includes clerking for the Hon. Lawrence K. Karlton in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, serving as an organizer for the Rainforest Action Network, teaching in a rural high school, and commercially harvesting seaweed with a family-owned business. Nathan received a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley and a B.A.S. from Stanford University. In his spare time he cooks overly elaborate food and hikes very far while carrying very little.

Casey Roberts, Associate Attorney
Casey Roberts joined the Sierra Club in October 2011 as an Associate Attorney, and she works on cleaning up coal-fired power plants in her home state of Texas, as well as Arkansas and Louisiana. Casey received her JD from the University of California, Berkeley, where she was the Editor-in-Chief of Ecology Law Quarterly and worked with Communities for a Better Environment, Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger, and the Sierra Club. Casey received her BA from Rice University in biology and public policy. Following law school, Casey clerked for Judge James Parker in the District of New Mexico, and Judge Diana Murphy on the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. After clerking, Casey returned to California to work as a fellow at the Natural Resources Defense Council, representing tiny endangered fish in California rivers, and at Altshuler Berzon LLP, working on labor union, low-wage employment, and civil rights litigation. Outside of work, Casey enjoys cycling, trail running, alpine-induced oxygen deprivation, and studying regional variations in microbrew styles.

Nathaniel Shoaff, Associate Attorney
Nathaniel Shoaff joined the Sierra Club in 2009 as an Environmental Law Fellow. Originally from Indiana, Nathaniel received his B.A. from Middlebury College and his J.D. from Vermont Law School. Before joining the Sierra Club, Nathaniel spent two years working for a private law firm in San Francisco doing mostly harmless regulatory environmental work. During law school, Nathaniel worked at the Vermont Natural Resources Council, served as editor-in-chief of Vermont Law Review, and taught legal writing to first-year law students. He also coached the South Royalton High School boys' JV soccer team to a nearly .500 record. When not working with the Club's chapters to protect wildlife resources across the country, Nathaniel can often be found kneading bread, extolling the virtues of San Francisco's N-Judah, or explaining the basics of Midwest geography to his colleagues.

Manuel Somoza, Associate Attorney
Manuel joined the Club in the fall of 2010 as an Environmental Law Fellow. A native of Puerto Rico, Manuel earned his BS from the University of Puerto Rico, his JD from Vermont Law School and a Masters of Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Prior to joining the Club, Manuel clerked for the Hon. Jay A. Garcia-Gregory in the Federal District Court of Puerto Rico, and received a Fulbright Fellowship to study constitutional environmental protections in Montevideo, Uruguay. Manuel is excited about living in San Francisco, attending an endless lineup of live music, discovering his latent karaoke talent, and telling tall tales of adventures to strangers on the train.

Jessica Yarnall Loarie, Associate Attorney
Jessica joined the Sierra Club in 2010 and focuses her work on mining, coal exports, and supporting rail infrastructure. She received her J.D. from the University of California Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall) where she was an editor of the Ecology Law Quarterly and the California Law Review. Jessica earned her B.A. from Carleton College where she focused on international relations and environmental studies. Following college, Jessica worked as a field organizer on Tim Johnson (D-SD)'s U.S. Senate race (a 524 vote victory!), was awarded a Fulbright fellowship to Peru to complete a project on public participation in making decisions about mining projects, and worked at the Federal Trade Commission. Before joining the Sierra Club, Jessica was an associate in the civil litigation group at Weil, Gotshal and Manges, clerked for Judge John Munter, and spent time during law school working for the Earthjustice International Program and Shute, Mihaly and Weinberger. During her free time, Jessica enjoys making up new recipes, traveling, hiking, and learning to garden.

David Abell, Paralegal
David Abell joined the Environmental Law Program in January 2011. He received his Paralegal Certificate from Merritt College in 2007. David also studied photography, film and printmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute and graduated in 1999 with a BFA. Before joining the Sierra Club, David was a paralegal at a class action plaintiffs' firm in Oakland that litigates employment issues. David has also worked with Bay Area Legal Aid in Oakland and Center for Food Safety in San Francisco. During his free time, David enjoys cycling, running, hiking and spending time with his wife and 2 small children. He also plays drums in a local band.

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.

Amber Williams, Paralegal
Amber has been a part of the Law Program since October 2008 and continues to hold the fort down in the Boulder office. She graduated from Central Washington University with a double major in public policy and political science and ended up liking economics enough to minor in it. When not working to save endangered creatures or stop environmentally destructive projects, Amber adventures into the Rockies, plays co-ed softball, climbs an occasional rock or two, and continues to muse over international politics.

 

Priyam Desai, Data Analyst
Priyam joined the Environmental Law Program in August of 2011. After graduating from UC Davis in 2010 with a degree in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning, she spent some time working as an on-site government contractor in Oklahoma in addition to briefly working for a Japanese clean energy non-profit in the Bay Area. Her interest in the environment was spurred early on by travels across the country and she is excited to support the Sierra Club's efforts against coal. When she is not crunching numbers for the Club, Priyam enjoys baking, discovering new music, reading and of course, being outdoors.

Saurabh Aneja, Program Assistant
Saurabh joined the Environmental Law Program in July of 2011. Previous to joining the team, Saurabh graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2009. After his years as an undergraduate, he spent time working for the educationally based NPO, Project Worldview, and also with the Oakland Unified School District. Spending many trips with his family in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, Saurabh developed his love for the environment at a young age. In his spare time, keep an eye out for him on any soccer field, or lazing around in any of the great parks in San Francisco (Dolores and Lafayette being his favorites). Saurabh is extremely excited to join the Environmental Law Program, and to help further protect and preserve the beautiful heartlands of our country.

James Giampietro, Program Assistant
James joined the Environmental Law Program in November of 2009 at the San Francisco office. He had recently graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont, where he majored in Philosophy and minored in Italian between trips into the nearby Green Mountains and Adirondacks. Always excited by mountains, James spent the frigid Vermont winters snowboarding and learning to telemark ski, and explored the Dolomites and Swiss Alps while studying in Italy; but whenever possible he visits the Cascades near his native Seattle. While the office isn't the same as the mountains, James is excited to be with the Club working to protect the natural places he enjoys so much. Other interests include playing bluegrass on the fiddle, learning to cook, and sporting socks with his Birkenstocks.

 

Violet Lehrer, Paralegal
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.

Nicholas Life, Operations Coordinator
Nicholas joined the Environmental Law Program in August of 2010. After graduating from the University of Oregon with a degree in Geography and Sociology, Nicholas decided it was time to get out of the rain and head south to sunny California. Having grown up in the lush green forests of the Pacific Northwest, Nicholas developed a passion for the outdoors at an early age. It is this passion that led him to the Sierra Club's Environmental Law Program and the pursuit of a career fighting environmental injustice. When not in the office, Nicholas can be found enjoying one of the many sights in San Francisco, rock climbing, or planning his next vacation.

Andrea Sanchez, Program Assistant
Andrea joined the Environmental Law Program in July of 2011. She graduated from San Francisco State University in 2010 with a degree in International Relations, Environmental Emphasis and a minor in Holistic Health. Her Holistic Health Global Perspectives class piqued her interest in community organizing and she was selected soon after to participate in a Greenpeace and ForestEthics Activist Training Camp. She went on to intern with Forest Ethics on their 'Do Not Mail' and 'Tar Sands' campaigns in 2009. After college Andrea spent 6 months as an Apprentice Organizer with the Beyond Coal Campaign in Minneapolis. Upon her return to San Francisco, Andrea worked with the Center for Food Safety as a Food and Farming Policy Intern before returning to the Sierra Club to continue her work against coal. Although originally from southern California, Andrea considers San Francisco her home. When not in the office, Andrea can be found practicing yoga, painting, gardening, traveling, and taking her dog out to Golden Gate Park and Ocean Beach.

Jeff Speir, Program Assistant
Jeff joined the Environmental Law Program in January, 2010. After four years of basking in the southeastern sun, Jeff graduated from Wake Forest University in 2009 with a degree in History and minors in International Studies and Entrepreneurship & Social Enterprise. A native of North Carolina, Jeff happily adapted to his new surroundings in his previous work as the Sierra Club's Clean Energy Solutions Apprentice in the inaugural San Francisco class. He is particularly passionate about the outdoors, politics, baseball, and insects (occasionally engaging the last in sharp-tongued debate). Jeff is very excited to be a part of the Environmental Law Program as it achieves more tremendous victories for the planet and its many creatures.

Alison Vicks, Program Assistant
Alison Vicks joined the DC office's Environmental Law Program as a program assistant in September 2010. Alison arrived at the Sierra Club after two years in development and fundraising at the environmental non-profit Ceres in Boston and a stint in the Peace Corps in Mozambique. She received her undergraduate degree in International Relations in 2005 from the University of Southern California, where the horrendous air quality piqued her interest in environmental issues. When not working to support the Sierra Club's litigation, Alison can be found cooking something delicious, hiking around, exploring DC, or planning her next adventure.

Ruben Mojica, Program Assistant
Ruben joined the Environmental Law Program in January of 2012. Ruben grew up in Colusa, a rural Northern California agricultural based community. It was growing up among countless orchards, woods, and the Sacramento River that he learned to love and appreciate everything the environment has to offer. Prior to joining the program, Ruben graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in August 2011. At Berkeley he majored in Conservation and Resource Studies and minored in Global Poverty and Practice. The summer before his senior year Ruben spent two months in Arusha, Tanzania. There he taught public and environmental health issues in public and private schools. Some of Ruben's favorite places to visit on weekend trips are Yosemite, Fort Bragg, Big Basin, the Marin Headlands, and Point Reyes. He finds these are the perfect places to go after a long week or simply when you yearn to escape the urban environment and find some peace and adventure in nature. Other than pretending to be Jeff Corwin in the wild, he really enjoys dance; swing and hip hop are his specialty. Ruben was very excited to join the Sierra Club upon graduating; this is the perfect stepping stone into the "real world" and he looks forward to dedicating his time to protecting the environment while simultaneously exploring and enjoying it.