February 2014
ELI is pleased to announce that Laurie Burt and Bob Sussman have joined the Institute’s Leadership Council.
Laurie Burt is President of Laurie Burt, LLC, providing independent strategic advice in the clean energy, climate and environmental space to foundations, businesses, non-profits and public officials throughout New England and the country. She most recently served as Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection under Governor Deval Patrick where she championed the integration of energy and environmental programs, energy efficiency opportunities for all utilities and public infrastructure, and market-based policies to promote new technology, jobs and a clean energy economy. Laurie has practiced law for over 25 years, at Foley Hoag, LLP where she started the firm’s environmental practice group, and previously as a MA Assistant Attorney General. She served as Vice President of the Boston Bar Foundation and Chair of the Appalachian Mountain Club and the New England Legal Foundation. She is currently a member of the American College of Environmental Lawyers, and serves on the boards of the Environmental Law Institute and the Union of Concerned Scientists National Advisory Board.
Bob Sussman is the principal in Sussman and Associates, a consulting firm that offers advice and support on energy and environmental policy issues to clients in the non-profit and private sectors. Bob recently completed four and a half years of service in the Obama Administration, first as Co-Chair of the Transition Team for EPA and then as Senior Policy Counsel to the EPA Administrator. In this position, Bob functioned as the Administrator’s principal policy advisor, providing oversight and guidance on the full suite of policy issues across the Agency. Bob served in the Clinton Administration as the EPA Deputy Administrator during 1993-94. At the end of 2007, Bob retired as a partner at the law firm of Latham & Watkins, where he headed the firm’s environmental practice in DC for 10 years. For several years, Bob was named one of the leading environmental lawyers in Washington, DC by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Business Lawyers and The International Who’s Who of Environmental Lawyers. Bob was a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress in 2008, writing and speaking about climate change and energy.
ELI’s Leadership Council is composed of prominent leaders in the fields of environment, energy, and natural resources law and policy. Membership in the Leadership Council is by nomination through a selection process that recognizes leadership skills and significant contributions to the profession. The Council members routinely assist and advise ELI by providing articles to The Environmental Forum or the Environmental Law Reporter, suggesting educational programs or research ideas and attending private, off-the-record luncheons and policy calls with key environmental leaders and policymakers.
For more information on the ELI Leadership Council, please contact Martin Dickinson at 202/939-3839.