(Washington, D.C.)—The Environmental Law Institute (ELI) is delighted to announce that three new members have joined its Leadership Council: Jonathan Cannon, Carrie Jenks, and Alex Wang. “We are so fortunate to have these outstanding individuals join the ranks of our Leadership Council,” said ELI Leadership Council President Kathy Robb. “ELI’s vision is a healthy environment, prosperous economies, and vibrant communities founded on the rule of law. As esteemed thought-leaders in the field of environmental law and policy, the newest members of our Leadership Council will bring valuable guidance and expertise to ELI as they make law work for people, places, and the planet.”
- Jonathan Cannon, who served as the inaugural director of the University of Virginia Law School’s Program in Law, Communities, and the Environment (PLACE), joined the Law School faculty in 1998 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where he served as general counsel (1995-1998) and assistant administrator for administration and resources management (1992-1995). Prior to his work with EPA, Jonathan was in the private practice of environmental law; served as an adjunct professor at Washington and Lee Law School, where he taught environmental law; and was a lecturer at the Law School. Cannon is the author of the book Environment in the Balance: The Green Movement and the Supreme Court. He retired from UVA in May 2021. Jonathan earned his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and his B.A. from Williams College.
- Carrie Jenks is the Executive Director of the Environmental & Energy Law Program (EELP) at Harvard Law School. She leads the EELP team to identify legally durable strategies to support climate and environmental policies and advance clean energy deployment. With her legal and policy expertise in climate and environmental law, she has worked to build strategic alliances among stakeholders to advance policy solutions. Prior to EELP, Carrie was an Executive Vice President at M.J. Bradley & Associates, where she directed power company coalitions that have played a critical role supporting, and defending in court, air pollution and climate regulations. Before that, Carrie was an associate in the environmental groups at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP in Washington, D.C., and at Goodwin Procter LLP in Boston, MA. Carrie received her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and B.A. from Harvard University.
- Alex Wang is Professor of Law at UCLA School of Law and Faculty Co-Director of the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment. He is a leading expert on environmental governance and the law and politics of China. His work has addressed air pollution, climate change, and other environmental issues. Prior to 2011, Alex was a senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) 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 helped to establish NRDC's Beijing office in 2006. He was a Fulbright Fellow to China from 2004-2005. Alex holds a J.D. from NYU School of Law and earned his B.S. in Biology with distinction from Duke University.
The ELI Leadership Council is the Institute’s group for the most prominent environment, energy, and natural resource leaders in the nation. The Council recognizes leaders for their commitment of resources and time to the Institute’s vision of a healthy environment, prosperous economies, and vibrant communities founded on the rule of law. Members participate in events and have a chance to network and engage other leaders in discussions about key environmental law and policy issues.