Environmental Law Institute Welcomes Two New Members to Its Leadership Council

July 2020

(Washington, D.C.): The Environmental Law Institute (ELI) is delighted to announce two new members have joined its Leadership Council: Deidre Duncan and Kirsten Nathanson. “We are so fortunate to have these outstanding women 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, Deidre and Kirsten will bring valuable guidance and expertise to ELI as they make law work for people, places, and the planet.”

  • Deidre G. Duncan is a partner at Hunton Andrews Kurth in Washington, D.C., where she leads the firm’s environmental practice. Deidre represents clients on permitting, compliance, and litigation relating to the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and other environmental statutes. Deidre also counsels clients on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers infrastructure and civil works projects, including issues involving funding, acquisition, and construction. She frequently counsels clients on administrative rulemaking and policy, providing regulatory clarifications when necessary, and drafting federal and state legislation on myriad intricate issues. She is also well known for negotiating and obtaining permits for complicated energy and development projects. Prior to entering private practice, Deidre served as assistant general counsel of the U.S. Army at the Pentagon, advising the secretary of the Army on environmental and land use issues.
  • Kirsten L. Nathanson is partner at Crowell & Moring in Washington, D.C., where she co-chairs the firm’s Environment & Natural Resources Group. Kirsten focuses on environmental litigation, enforcement defense, risk assessment, and regulatory counseling under all of the major federal environmental and public lands statutes. She is also an elected member of the firm's Management Board. Her litigation experience includes citizen suit defense, regulatory challenges, remediation cost recovery and defense, Administrative Procedure Act actions, and EPA enforcement. She is also known for her CERCLA work, encompassing multiple complex and high-profile sites across the country. Kirsten was a founding President of the Washington, D.C., Chapter of the Women's Energy Network and currently serves on its Executive Advisory Council. She is a former co-chair of the Environmental Litigation & Toxic Tort Committee for ABA SEER, and was recently elected a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.

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.