(Washington, D.C.): The Environmental Law Institute (ELI) is delighted to announce the appointment of four new members to its Board of Directors: Marisa Blackshire; Gwendolyn Keyes Fleming; Stacey Halliday; and Alex Wang. ELI’s Board includes environmental leaders from all sectors, including private law practice, corporate management, nongovernmental organizations, and academia. With this newest class of board members, ELI has for the first time achieved gender parity, with 20 women and 20 men now serving on ELI’s Board. This class also represents further progress toward ELI’s goal of having one of the most racially diverse boards in the environmental field.
“Uniting diverse interests is a strength of ELI, and these distinguished individuals will bring a wealth of experience, energy, and new perspectives to the ELI Board of Directors,” said ELI President Scott Fulton. “I look forward to working with our newest members to advance ELI’s important mission of improving the environment through the effective rule of law,” added ELI Board Chair Benjamin F. Wilson.
- Marisa Blackshire is the Senior Director of Environmental Compliance and EH&S at Bloom Energy, a clean energy company headquartered in California’s Silicon Valley. Prior to joining Bloom, Marisa was a Senior General Attorney at BNSF Railway, where she led BNSF’s environmental legal, air, and climate programs systemwide. She also worked on various environmental permitting, regulatory compliance, and litigation matters that arose across the BNSF system, which includes 28 states and three Canadian provinces. Before BNSF, Marisa was in private practice at Alston & Bird LLP, where she worked on similar issues for clients including, but not limited to: petroleum companies; mines; energy providers; residential developers; the world’s largest retailer; and local agencies developing large-scale infrastructure. Marisa received her B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and her J.D. from Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles.
- Gwendolyn Keyes Fleming is a partner with Van Ness Feldman LLP in Washington, D.C. Gwen’s practice focuses on environmental policy, government relations, enforcement defense litigation, and special investigations for private and municipal clients. She also provides strategic advice and counsel on national security matters related to the protection of environmental and energy infrastructure from cyber and physical threats, including compliance planning, incident response, and subsequent enforcement or litigation matters. Gwen spent more than 20 years in the public sector prior to joining the firm, serving as both an elected and appointed official at the state and local levels, as well as in various branches of the federal government. Most recently, she served as General Counsel for Immigration & Customs Enforcement in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and as Chief of Staff for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency during the Barack Obama Administration. Gwen also served as the EPA Region 4 Regional Administrator. Gwen received her undergraduate degree from Rutgers University and her J.D. from Emory University School of Law.
- Stacey Halliday, an independent consultant, advises clients on environmental compliance and corporate social responsibility matters, including product stewardship, sustainability disclosures, and environmental justice. In August 2019, Stacey founded Global Environmental Solutions Consulting, LLC, and works closely with Beveridge & Diamond as an environmental consultant. As a former principal at Beveridge & Diamond, Stacey continues to serve the firm’s clients with a broad array of environmental compliance, product stewardship, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability services. Stacey joined Beveridge & Diamond in February 2017, immediately following her political appointment as Special Counsel in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of General Counsel. Stacey was also a senior member of the EPA oversight response team, where she provided legal and strategic guidance on congressional investigation and hearing preparation, White House and interagency coordination, and crisis management and strategic communications. She is a proud graduate of the Howard University School of Law and Harvard College.
- Alex Wang is Professor of Law at UCLA School of Law, and a leading expert on environmental governance and the law and politics of China. His research focuses on the social effects of law, and the interaction of law and institutions in China and the United States. His previous research has examined, among other things, the institutional design of environmental law and policy, environmental bureaucracy, public interest litigation, information disclosure, and environmental courts. Prior to 2011, Alex was a Senior Attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council based in Beijing and the founding director of NRDC's China Environmental Law & Governance Project. In this capacity, he worked with China's government agencies, legal community, and environmental groups to improve environmental rule of law and strengthen the role of the public in environmental protection. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, as well as a member and former fellow (2008-2010) of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. He is also a co-chair of the academic advisory committee for the California-China Climate Institute, a collaboration between the state of California and China on climate change law and policy. Alex holds a J.D. from NYU School of Law and earned his B.S. in Biology from Duke University.
For more information about ELI’s Board of Directors, visit https://www.eli.org/board-of-directors