Movers & Shakers

Movers

EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights welcomes Atinuke Adediran, former associate professor at Fordham University School of Law, as a senior advisor on civil rights, equity and inclusion.

Cindy Axne joins the Department of Agriculture as a senior advisor for rural engagement, delivery, and prosperity. Most recently, Anxe represented Iowa’s Third District in the House of Representatives.

The Department of Energy promotes five staffers to senior positions. Matthew Baca serves as chief of staff for the Office of International Affairs. Arpita Bhattacharyya works as the senior advisor and chief climate officer in the Loan Programs Office. Greg Degen is now chief of staff for the Office of the Deputy Secretary. Cambria Hayashino and Cassidy Ballard are the new director and deputy director of scheduling and advance, respectively.

Benji Backer steps down as head of the American Conservation Coalition. Danielle Butcher Franz takes the helm as the environmental group’s new CEO.

The American Clean Power Association, a renewable energy industry group, taps Karina Borger as vice president of communications.

The Department of the Interior welcomes Phil Burton as a senior advisor for infrastructure equity and Zaheer Tajanias as senior advisor for oversight.

Ken Cestari joins Holland & Knight’s Public Policy and Regulation Group as a partner. He previously served as deputy chief counsel of the Loan Programs Office of the Department of Energy.

The White House Council on Environmental Quality welcomes Ana Unruh Cohen, longtime Democratic climate aide, as a senior director working on clean energy, infrastructure and the National Environmental Policy Act.

David Crane has been appointed as the Department of Energy undersecretary for infrastructure. He previously led NRG Energy Inc. and clean energy firm Climate Real Impact Solutions as CEO.

Perkins Coie LLP announces ;Elizabeth Crouse and Buck Endemann have joined the firm’s renewable energy practice as partners. Crouse joins the Tax Practice in the Portland office and Endemann will work with the Energy, Environment, and Resources practice group in San Francisco.

Cynthia Harris, former ELI staff attorney, has been named director of the Institute for Environmental Sovereignty at the National Congress of American Indians. At ELI she served as director of Tribal Programs and deputy director of the Center for State, Tribal, and Local Environmental Programs.

Anne Heard joins the EPA Office of Land and Emergency Management as acting deputy assistant administrator for the waste office.

Covington & Burling has appointed Jayni Hein as co-chair of the firm’s newly launched Carbon Management and Climate Mitigation initiative.

Joel Johnson takes the helm as the president and CEO of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. He has held positions at E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation and Trout Unlimited.

Former ELI staff attorney Seema Kakade joins the White House Council on Environmental Quality as senior counsel. Most recently, Kakade directed the University of Maryland Environmental Law Clinic and served as a member of the ELI Environmental Justice Advisory Committee.

Elizabeth Klein will now serve as director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. She has previously worked on a range of issues in the Department of the Interior for both the Clinton and Obama administrations, including developing policies to grow renewables on public lands.

Beveridge & Diamond appoints two new of counsels to its environmental practice. Barbara Marvin joins the Washington, D.C., office to counsel clients on natural resource-related issues. Dylan Sanders will work on zoning, permitting, and land use matters in the Boston office.

Arianna Menzelos, former special assistant to the national climate advisor at the White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy, moves in as special assistant to EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.

Sara Moffat joins the Bureau of Land Management as a senior advisor. She previously served as a policy advisor to Harry Reid during his time as Senate majority leader.

Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions announces Andrew Morley as a senior government relations manager. In this role, Morley will convey conservative climate and energy solutions to federal lawmakers.

Tom O’Halleran, former representative of Arizona’s First District and member of the House Agriculture Committee, moves in as a senior advisor for the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Shennie Patel joins Crowell & Moring LLP as senior counsel of the firm’s Environment & Natural Resources practice group after 20 years of experience as a DOJ attorney, including 14 years in the Environmental Crimes Section.

Jacek Pruski, former principal deputy associate counsel at the White House, will now serve as a deputy solicitor for general law at the Department of the Interior.

The Bureau of Land Management’s Office of Law Enforcement and Security announces Anthony “Dylan” Ragan as its new deputy director and Anne-Marie Sharkey as chief of policy and programs.

Tom Reynolds has been appointed the new head of public affairs at General Electric’s energy division, GE Vernova. He has held positions at Meta, EPA, the White House, and the Department of Energy,

Jaclyn Rothenberg moves in as a senior communications advisor at the White House Climate Office, where she’ll help the Biden administration share its efforts to address climate change.

Indigenous-led environmental group Honor the Earth announces Krystal Two Bulls as its new executive director. The group uses Indigenous wisdom, music, art, and the media to raise awareness and support for environmental issues.

Clifford Villa has been named deputy assistant administrator in EPA’s solid waste office. He first joined the agency in its enforcement office in 1992 before becoming a law professor at University of New Mexico in 2015.

Shakers

The Harvard Law School Environmental Law Society presented Robert D. Bullard with the Horizon Award for his career of innovative work for environmental justice.

Shalanda Baker, director of the Office of Impact and Economic Diversity for the Department of Energy, and Vickie Patton, general counsel for the Environmental Defense Fund, received the William K. Reilly Award for Environmental Leadership. Patton serves on the ELI Board of Directors.

Idaho Business Review selected Perkins Coie LLP associate Sarah Hugues for the 2023 Accomplished Under 40 award. She works on environmental, natural resources, and energy matters in the firm’s Boise office.

Patricia A. McKenna, assistant section chief with the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice, was honored by the D.C. Bar with the 2023 Beatrice Rosenberg Award for Excellence in Government Service.

Mintz Environmental Law Chair Jeffrey R. Porter and Energy & Sustainability Co-Chair Sahir Surmeli were recognized as “Top Authors” in the JD Supra 2023 Readers’ Choice Awards. The award honors authors and firms for their thought leadership and achieving the highest visibility and engagement in a particular field.

Author and activist Diane Wilson received the Goldman Environmental Prize in honor of her work to stop illegal dumping of toxic plastic waste on Texas’ Gulf Coast.

In Memoriam

Swinomish Elder and cultural leader Larry Campbell (Wanaseah) walked on in February. As a tribal historic preservation officer and community environmental health specialist for the Swinomish Tribal Community, he centered traditional teachings and cultural knowledge in all his work. Larry was a tireless advocate for Native people who pushed for advances in policies and regulations in front of Congress, federal agencies, and other key decisionmakers. At the Inaugural First Stewards climate conference he declared, “We don’t need another white paper about how to make change. We need a red paper.” He was involved with multiple boards and organizations and led countless cultural orientations. Larry most recently partnered with ELI and his longtime friend and colleague Dr. Jamie Donatuto on the ongoing Advancing Tribal Sovereignty and Community Health in California project to develop Indigenous Health Indicators.