Our Team

Grant Wilson

Executive Director

Grant Wilson, Esq., is the Executive Director of Earth Law Center. He is an expert on the Rights of Nature, ecocentric law, and international environmental law. For the last decade, he has defended the rights and interests of Nature all over the world, including by co-drafting legal instruments recognizing the rights of nature. He is a co-lead editor of the seminal Earth Law textbook, Earth Law: Emerging Ecocentric Law—A Guide for Practitioners (Wolters Kluwer, 2021). He is also a member of the World Commission on Environmental Law and the UN Harmony with Nature Initiative. Grant earned a J.D. with a Certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law from Lewis & Clark Law School.

Irikefe V. Dafe

Africa Lead

Irikefe V. Dafe has advocated for river protections in Nigeria and throughout Africa for three decades. Much of his work has focused on protecting the River Ethiope and the rights of communities who rely upon the river for food, water, and their livelihoods. He is a lead organizer of the First National Dialogue on Rights of Nature in Nigeria. He is also the founder and CEO of River Ethiope Trust Foundation and an expert member of the UN Harmony with Nature Initiative. 

Elizabeth M. Dunne

Director of Legal Advocacy

Elizabeth M. Dunne, Esq., brings 20 years of legal experience and a passion for designing legal frameworks that enable systemic change. Drawing on her experience as lead counsel in public interest class action lawsuits and as a law clerk the Honorable Helen Gillmor (US federal court District of Hawai’i), Elizabeth is a leading practitioner in the development of litigation strategies that advance Earth Law. She advanced many of the groundbreaking Rights of Nature laws in the US, served as counsel and advisor on the first court cases filed on behalf of ecosystems, and co-authored the US Chapter of the first Earth Law textbook - Zelle et al. (Eds.), Earth Law: Emerging Ecocentric Law—A Guide for Practitioners (Aspen Coursebook, Wolters Kluwer 2020). The story of her former client Grant Township’s fight against a frack waste injection well, based in part on the state constitutional right to a clean and healthy environment, is featured in the award-winning documentary, Invisible Hand. She is a highly skilled and determined advocate for the conservation of legacy forests throughout the Pacific Northwest. Her forest advocacy is featured in the recently released short film Last Stand: Saving the Elwha River’s Legacy Forests.

Constanza Prieto Figelist

Latin America Legal Director

Constanza is founder and director of the Latin America Legal Program at ELC. As a lawyer, she is a leading expert on the Rights of Nature, mainly focused on protecting and conserving rivers and marine ecosystems in the Americas. She specializes in drafting ecocentric legislation, collaborating with local organizations and governments, and advising decision makers on regional legislative projects, with successful campaigns in more than five countries in the region. Constanza studied law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso (Chile) and has a master’s degree in private international law and international trade from the Pathéon-Assas University in Paris (France), and a master’s degree in environmental and energy law from New York University. She has been honored by International Rivers as one of the most outstanding Women River Defenders.

Herman Greene

Thomas Berry Scholar-in-Residence

Herman is President of the Center for Ecozoic Studies, in addition to being a corporate, tax, and securities lawyer. He holds degrees in Spirituality and Sustainability, Law, Ministry, and Political Science.

Kelsey Leonard

Director of Water Advocacy

Dr. Kelsey Leonard is a water scientist and Indigenous legal scholar with expertise in transboundary water governance and international water policy-making. Her recent scholarship explores legal personhood for water and her TEDTalk “Why lakes and rivers should have the same rights as humans” has nearly 3 million views. Dr. Leonard has been instrumental in safeguarding the interests of Indigenous Nations for environmental planning, and builds Indigenous science and knowledge into new solutions for water governance and sustainable oceans. Dr. Leonard received her A.B. in Sociology and Anthropology with honors from Harvard University, a MSc in Water Science, Policy and Management from the University of Oxford, a JD from Duquesne University, and PhD in Political Science from McMaster University.

Bastián Núñez

A graduate in law from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (Chile) in 2022, Bastián is a young, talented, and passionate jurist with a strong interest in environmental protection and international law. He has experience working on the Rights of Nature, having participated in the campaign for its recognition in Chile's 2022 constitutional process and interned with ELC’s Latin America Legal Program. As Legal Counsel and Researcher, Bastián supports the team's Amicus Curiae process, as well as the development of workshops, presentations, and other products for academic, institutional, and territorial activities. Bastián works to expand ELC’s projects in the South Cone Region and helps galvanize new projects and fundraising for ELC in Chile.

Legal Counsel & Researcher

Alexandra Pimor

Alexandra leads on the Nature On The Board project, a pioneering endeavour to expand the scope of Rights of Nature across legal systems, corporate boards, and any decision-making body to foster a global Nature/Earth-based governance praxis. A published scholar with over 20 years’ experience in pedagogical engineering, Ally started her career as a senior law lecturer in the UK. She is a certified Scrum Master, certified professional agile facilitator & systems coach, and founder of SoaNoia. Besides her role at ELC, she is also a non-executive director at RiseUP (Europe) CIC; an executive member of the Spirituality Scholars Network; an executive associate of the Natural Arts Associations (Wales); a professional volunteer at Notre Affaire à Tous (contributor to “Les Droits de la Nature”); and at Rights & Humanity (International).

Director of Nature Governance

F. Javier Ruiz

Expert in Environmental Policy and Climate Change

Jessy Kate Schingler

Javier is an environmental lawyer working on issues in environmental law, climate change, and the environmental rights of Nature defenders. An expert on the Rights of Nature, he supports legal cases through the formulation of amicus curiae briefs and provides specialized advice for litigation to Latin American organizations and groups. He contributes to the drafting of ecocentric legislation for ELC's Latin America Legal Program. Javier is also a member of the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law. In the academic field, he has conducted courses on the Rights of Nature, non-human animal rights, and access to environmental justice at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, and elsewhere. Javier leads ELC’s work on implementing the Escazú Agreement by participating in the negotiations of the Escazú Agreement Conferences of the Parties.

Earth Law Apprentice

Jessy Kate is transitioning into the field of law mid-career from a background in space policy, governance, and technology. She has a particular interest in commons governance and new institutional forms that reflect the need for new approaches to ownership, representation, and autonomy in complex and non-traditional jurisdictions. Previously, Jessy Kate co-founded the Open Lunar Foundation, the first civil society organization focused on good governance related to lunar exploration, where she still serves as an active board member. She is a regular speaker and writer about governance, coordination, and commons management on Earth and in space.

Pooja Sharma

Co-Lead, Nature Governance, Strategy and Operations Officer

Pooja Sharma, Esq., is a social enterprise attorney and Rights of Nature advocate based in Los Angeles, CA. Pooja transitioned into advocating for the Earth when she came to understand that our planet, our Home, needed more voices to protect and restore itself to its natural state. Pooja co-leads Strategy, Operations, and Planning on the Nature Governance team at Earth Law Center, where she executes the build out of corporate governance with Nature at the forefront. Pooja also counsels nonprofits and social enterprises on corporate law matters at Generate Purpose, develops legal advocacy initiatives and oversees the KSA Fellowship Program at Keystone Species Alliance, and builds impact litigation cases for the California environment and the public health of its citizens. 

Ciara Shea

Ciara Shea, Esq., is a licensed attorney in the State of New York and serves as ELC’s Strategic Initiatives Manager for New York and beyond. She helped develop and leads ELC’s portal of U.S. Earth-centered model legislation, templates, and journal articles. Having run a private practice and successful podcast on holistic nutrition, she also brings communications expertise to ELC’s press strategy, social media, and more. Ciara received her J.D. and certificate in Mediation from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law and holds her B.A. in Speech Communication with a minor in Legal Studies from Ithaca College. She lives on Long Island, NY.

Strategic Initiatives Manager & New York Program Lead

Kevin Schneider

Kevin Schneider, Esq., is Counsel to the Earth Law Center. Based in New York City, Kevin is admitted to practice in New York and the United States District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. For over a decade, Kevin has worked on extending legal rights to animals and ecosystems. He represented an elephant named Happy (Supreme Court, Bronx County) alongside a team of lawyers in a historic habeas corpus case from 2018-22, culminating in a first-of-its-kind argument before the New York State Court of Appeals. Among other publications, Kevin wrote a chapter on common law animal rights for the textbook “Earth Law” (Wolters Kluwer, 2021). Kevin has delivered guest lectures to undergraduate and law students at leading institutions including Harvard, Yale, and New York University.

Counsel

Lucy Ward

Co-Lead, Nature Governance, Strategy and Operations Officer

Lucy Ward is an Earth law advocate and Nature-conscious governance practitioner based in London. She trained as a marine biologist and began her career working on habitat restoration solutions and leading legal research teams. Lucy co-leads the Strategy, Operations and Planning on the Nature Governance team, where she executes the design and implementation of Nature-conscious Governance principles and practices. Lucy also forwards the Earth Law Centers work by contributing to education on Earth law topics, facilitating the running of the Centers summer course and creation of Earth law modules in the UK. Her work also focuses on on-the-ground solutions, through IntelliReefs, where she forwards the application of the proprietary reef building material Oceanite, and its multitude of uses in habitat restoration. Lucy works to develop innovative solutions for how to align and incorporate the flow of wisdom into legal advancements, cultural evolution and decision-making in the business world.

Operations Staff

Organizational Strategist and Partnership Manager

Heather has two decades of experience in strategic planning, organization design & transformation, leadership development, online communications, and partnership cultivation & management. Over the last 15 years, she has worked with nonprofits and private companies to achieve real innovation and impact without burning out from limitations of time, energy, and resources. Heather is passionate about the well-being of our planet, education, women's leadership, and the power of meditation, which together provide her with unique approaches and an understanding of what ELC requires for the future.

Heather Robertson

Lulu Robles

Lulu Robles is a Mexican content creator and social media specialist. With a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies, she has collaborated with diverse businesses in Canada, Mexico, and the USA to craft compelling strategies and engaging content. From creating captivating videos and photos to designing eye-catching designs, Lulu is very passionate about storytelling through visuals. She has completed several diplomas related to cinema and storytelling, including NYU’s 'Film Essentials' and Young Screenwriters: Writing the Short. She is working to elevate the voice of Nature through Earth Law Center’s social media and online presence.

Social Media Coordinator

Matt Zepelin

As Operations Manager at Earth Law Center, Matt Zepelin writes grants, runs the blog and newsletter, oversees the internship & volunteer program, and coordinates various internal and external processes. Matt holds a PhD in American history from the University of Colorado, Boulder and has a professional background in book publishing, nonprofit administration (former co-director of the Boulder Zen Center), and somatic education. As an editor at Shambhala Publications, he acquired and edited nearly 100 books, including environmental volumes such as A Wild Love for the World: Joanna Macy and the Work of Our Time, A Future We Can Love, and Green Buddhism. He lives with his wife and daughter near ELC’s headquarters in Durango, Colorado.

Operations Manager

Advisory Team

Myra L. Jackson

Myra Jackson is a retired electrical engineer who has designed and delivered seminar courses on business management, emotional intelligence, and heart coherence techniques at Harvard, Stanford, USC, UCSF, UCSD, Rockefeller University, and Duke University. In 2006, Myra shifted her focus to global policy on the climate crisis, and in 2015, she participated in the UN Open Working Group that determined the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Ms. Jackson currently serves on the United Nations Expert Platform on Harmony with Nature and is a delegate to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. She consults collaborative groups of governments, higher education, companies, utilities, and communities developing responses to sustain their rivers and regional environments.

UN Representative and Focal Point

Jonathon Keats is an experimental philosopher, artist, and writer whose transdisciplinary projects explore all aspects of nature, adapting methods from the sciences and the humanities as well as legal practices. He has lectured and exhibited at dozens of institutions worldwide, from Stanford University to SXSW to UNESCO. He is the author of six books, most recently You Belong to the Universe: Buckminster Fuller and the Future, published by Oxford University Press. Keats is currently a research associate at the University of Arizona’s Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill, a visiting scholar at San Jose State University’s CADRE Laboratory for New Media, and an artist-in-residence at both the SETI Institute and UC San Francisco’s Memory and Aging Center.

Principal Philosopher

Jonathon Keats

Marsha Moutrie

Marsha Moutrie is an attorney who has practiced in the public, private and nonprofit sectors since 1975, when she graduated from UCLA Law School. In 2016, she retired from government employment after serving for 22 years as the City Attorney of Santa Monica, California, where she headed the city's in-house law office and was responsible for all of the city's legal matters. Her work included writing and enforcing a wide variety of laws, including many environmental laws. In 2013, she wrote the City's Sustainability Rights Ordinance, which recognizes and codifies the fundamental and inalienable right of natural communities and ecosystems to exist and flourish.

Senior Counsel

Board of Directors

Missy Lahren

Missy Lahren has worked as an activist and public interest lawyer in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1993. She has an M.Ed. in Integral Education and a Ph.D. in Philosophy and Religion both of which focus on the emerging field of “ecozoic education.” She has been working to expand enforceable human and ecological rights since 1997 through participatory media and board positions at Unite for Rights, Planetary Advocates, and Eleanor Lives.

Chair

Rachelle Adam

Rachelle has 25 years of experience in Rights of Nature legal issues. As an attorney for Israel’s Environment Ministry, she worked extensively on nature protection and biodiversity issues.

Secretary

Elvir Causevic

Dr. Causevic is a recognized technology and IP investment banking professional focused on public and private board advisory, M&A, capital formation, and financial restructuring of technology and IP businesses. Over the past 20 years, Dr. Causevic founded and ran several high technology companies focused on signal acquisition, processing and communication hardware and software. He also has a J.D. degree from University of California Hastings College of the Law and is an avid student of Earth law. Dr. Causevic was born in Bosnia and now lives in San Francisco.

Treasurer

Felipe Clavijo-Ospina

Felipe Clavijo-Ospina is a Constitutional lawyer and professor with 15+ years of experience in constitutional and environmental affairs. He has served as an advisor of the Inspector-Attorney General and as a former law clerk at the Constitutional Court of Colombia where he led the way towards a new constitutional interpretation to protect Nature as a legal entity. Author of A rights revolution for Nature.

Member

Brandon Hubbard

Brandon brings expertise with a Degree in Marketing and a career in Advertising, focusing on media, storytelling with data, and sales. He's also an advocate for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion as a member of Comscore's EDI Alliance and Co-founder of an employee resource group for minorities.

Vice Chair

Corinne Sanders

Corinne Sanders, OP, is Director of the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Office of Sustainability, where she has coordinated projects such as the installation of a solar array and the Permaculture Garden on the motherhouse campus.

Member

Header Photo: Unsplash / Mehdi Sepehri