Our Staff
The Environmental Integrity Project is made up of a team of attorneys and analysts, as well as community outreach, communications, development, and administrative staff. Our team works out of Washington, DC, Texas, and remotely across the country to bring about our vision of a healthy regulatory and physical environment.
Leadership
Eric Schaeffer
Executive Director
Eric has served as Executive Director since he co-founded the organization in 2002. Previously, Eric served as director of EPA’s Office of Civil Enforcement from 1997 to 2002, where he received a Presidential Rank Award, as well as the John Marshall award from the Justice Department for his leadership in negotiating an industry-wide cleanup of petroleum refineries. Eric’s career at EPA began in 1990, and included an appointment as special assistant to the Deputy Administrator. Prior to his service at EPA, Eric worked as an environmental attorney for two and a half years at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, and spent six years on Capitol Hill working for various members of Congress. Eric received his law degree from Georgetown University, and his B.A. from Vanderbilt University.
Email: eschaeffer [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Jen Duggan
Deputy Director
Prior to joining EIP, Jen was the Vice President and Director of Conservation Law Foundation Vermont where she launched a successful regional campaign to secure state drinking water regulations for toxic “forever chemicals” and led efforts to pass three “strongest in the nation” state laws to protect drinking water and reduce single-use plastic. Jen also served as the General Counsel for the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources where she led the Office of General Counsel and oversaw the delivery of legal services for the Central Office and Departments of Environmental Conservation, Fish and Wildlife, and Forests, Parks, and Recreation. Prior to her position with the Agency, Jen was Managing Attorney for EIP. Jen developed and brought successful litigation requiring the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to limit toxic discharges from coal plants for the first time; developed and litigated cases requiring clean up of three coal ash landfills; and persuaded a state environmental agency to withdraw construction permits for two waste coal power plants. Jen graduated magna cum laude from Vermont Law School and also earned a Master of Studies in Environmental Law.
Email: jduggan [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Ilan Levin
Associate Director
Ilan joined EIP in 2004, after practicing environmental law with a firm where he litigated water issues on behalf of landowners and conservation groups. He previously played a key role in developing and drafting Texas anti-pollution laws. Ilan received his law degree from University of Texas, and his B.A. from University of Texas at Austin.
Email: ilevin [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Tom Pelton
Director of Communications
Tom is also Co-Director of the EIP Center for Environmental Investigations. He joined EIP in 2014 after working as a journalist for The Baltimore Sun, where he was twice named one of the best environmental reporters in America by the Society of Environmental Journalists. He is author of the book, The Chesapeake in Focus: Transforming the Natural World, published by Johns Hopkins University Press. He is a graduate of Georgetown University (B.A.) and the University of Chicago (M.A.).
Email: tpelton [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Christine Hoch
Director of Administration and Development
Christine joined EIP in March of 2016. With 20 years of experience in nonprofit organizations, she previously worked as Director of Development at Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD). She founded the Center for Safer Wireless and served as Vice President of Finance and Development at the National Center for Family Philanthropy. Christine was also Executive Director of the Autism Society of America, Northern Virginia Chapter. For nine years Christine worked at the National Safety Council’s Environmental Health Center as a Senior Program Leader and Grants Administrator. She holds a BA in Economics and International Studies from American University.
Email: choch [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Courtney Bernhardt
Director of Research
Courtney is Co-Director of EIP’s Center for Environmental Investigations and leads EIP’s team of dedicated analysts. She manages EIP’s public databases and analyzes and visualizes data to inform and support EIP’s advocacy efforts. She joined EIP in 2013 after earning a Master of Environmental Management and a certificate in geospatial analysis from Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment. Before then, she spent several years working on CERCLA and CWA lawsuits as a paralegal at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. She also holds a B.A. in public policy from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
Email: cbernhardt [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Abel Russ
Senior Attorney and Director of the Center for Applied Environmental Science
Abel works on litigation and research related to coal, industrial agricultural, the Chesapeake Bay TMDL, and risk assessment. He is also the Director of the Center for Applied Environmental Science, which serves to connect communities and advocates with technical experts. He joined EIP in 2010 after graduating from Vermont Law School, where he served as an editor of the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law and as a clinician with the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic. Prior to law school, Abel worked in the field of human health risk assessment as a research associate and as a toxicologist. He graduated from Clark University and received his M.A. in Environmental Science & Policy from Clark in 2000.
Email: aruss [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Attorneys
Lisa Widawsky Hallowell
Senior Attorney
Lisa has worked to reduce pollution from coal ash disposal sites in Pennsylvania and nationally since she joined EIP in January 2009. She graduated cum laude with a Certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law from Lewis & Clark Law School, where she was a student clinician with the Pacific Environmental Advocacy Center, served on the editorial board of the Environmental Law Journal, participated in the Environmental Moot Court Program, and was inducted into the Cornelius Honor Society. Lisa graduated magna cum laude from Colgate University with a B.A. in Environmental Geography and a focus on Environmental Policy Analysis.
Email: lhallowell [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Leah Kelly
Senior Attorney
Leah Kelly joined EIP in 2011. Prior to joining EIP, she spent three years working at a small public interest oriented law firm in upstate New York, focusing on land use and environmental matters. Leah graduated from Boston College Law School in 2007 with a Certificate in Land Use and Environmental Law. During law school, Leah worked as an intern with Alternatives For Community and Environment, as a summer law clerk with the Southern Environmental Law Center, and as a student attorney with the Boston College Legal Assistance Bureau. She graduated cum laude from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in 2002 with a B.A. in English.
Email: lkelly [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Lori Kier
Senior Attorney
Lori Kier joined EIP in September of 2023, following 24 years as an Assistant and Senior Assistant Regional Counsel at U.S. EPA Region 3 (Mid-Atlantic Region), where she developed and prosecuted enforcement cases under multiple state and federal environmental statutes, including the Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water Acts, and participated in drafting federal permits and reviewing state permits. While at EPA, Lori received numerous awards for her work, including an EPA Bronze Medal for the Revised Total Coliform Rule in Pennsylvania and Virginia; a Federal Executive Board Gold Medal for Scientific Achievement as part of a Perfluorinated Chemicals Investigation Team; and a US. Department of Justice Commendation Certificate for support of a Clean Water Act case against a steel manufacturer. After her time at EPA, Lori practiced water law at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and spent several years in private practice at a small litigation firm. Prior to her tenure at EPA, Lori served as a Law Clerk to U.S. District Judge Fred I. Parker (D. Vt.). She earned her J.D from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and her B.A. cum laude from Middlebury College in Vermont.
Email: lkier [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Sarah Kula
Attorney
Sarah joined EIP in 2021 after graduating cum laude from Boston University School of Law. During law school, she clerked for the Environmental Integrity Project, the Humane Society of the United States, and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Sarah also worked with the Conservation Law Foundation through BU’s Environmental Law Practicum and as a student attorney with the Individual Rights Litigation Clinic. Sarah graduated from SUNY Binghamton in 2017 with a B.A. in sociology and philosophy, politics & law.
Email: skula [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Sunny Lee
Attorney
Sunny joined EIP in 2018 after receiving his J.D. and LL.M in Environmental Law from Georgetown University Law Center. During law school, he clerked at EIP, the GULC Institute for Public Representation, the North Carolina DOJ’s Environmental Division, and the Texas Civil Rights Project. He graduated from Davidson College in 2011 with a B.S. in Psychology.
Email: slee [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Haley Colson Lewis
Attorney
Haley is a Clean Air Act attorney who joined EIP in July 2022 and works on climate change issues. Before joining EIP, she was a staff attorney for eight years for the Greater Birmingham Alliance to Stop Pollution (GASP) in Alabama. She holds a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a J.D. from the Cumberland School of Law. A native of Birmingham, she finds meaning, inspiration and longevity in connecting with and advocating alongside the people impacted by air pollution and systemic injustices. In her spare time Haley loves running, hiking, yoga, long walks and practical jokes with her two kids and husband, leisure reading and watching pretty much every TV show on Bravo.
Email: hlewis [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Meg Parish
Senior Attorney
Meg joined EIP in July 2022 and is an expert in Clean Water Act issues. For the three previous years, she managed Clean Water Act permitting for Colorado’s Water Quality Control Division. Prior to joining the agency, she was the First Assistant Attorney General for Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act cases in the Colorado Attorney General’s Office. Meg has also worked as an Associate Attorney at Earthjustice, an attorney at Hogan Lovells, LLP, and a community organizer with Kentuckians for the Commonwealth. She holds a J.D. from Georgetown.
Email: Mparish [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Lauren Thompson
Attorney
Lauren joined EIP in October 2023 and is dedicated to fighting for environmental health, protection, and justice. Prior to joining EIP, Lauren was the Climate Change and Environmental Justice Staff Attorney at Lawyers for Good Government, where she helped design and launch a pro bono legal services clinic for overburdened communities across the country that suffer from environmental harms. Lauren also worked at an environmental law firm for nearly four years, where she specialized in environmental compliance and enforcement, litigation, and permitting. Lauren has a substantive background in climate change law, environmental justice law and policy, water law—including water quality, drinking water, and water supply issues—as well as experience working with endangered species and emerging contaminants.
Lauren has a J.D. from Texas A&M University School of Law and a B.S. in Environmental Studies from Texas A&M University. While in law school, Lauren clerked for the Galveston Bay Foundation and the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the United States Department of Justice.
Research Team
Preet Bains
Research Analyst
Preet joined EIP in August 2022. Prior to joining EIP, she received her Master of Public Health from George Washington University. She also previously interned with the Central Valley Health Policy Institute in Fresno, CA. She has also earned a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Email: pbains [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Sara Brodzinsky
Engineer
Sara joined EIP in 2022. Prior to joining EIP, she led the development of feasibility studies as a Civil Engineer with the US Army Corps of Engineers. Her work has also included policy advocacy, research, and data analysis to support community-led campaigns for environmental and racial justice in Chicago and Illinois. Sara holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Master of Public Policy from Tufts University.
Email: sbrodzinsky [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Vincent Bregman
Research Analyst
Vincent previously worked at Earthjustice as a development services assistant in their San Francisco office. Prior to that, he was an Intake coordinator with Genentech, a biotech company. He graduated from U.C. Santa Cruz in June 2016 with a B.A. in history (European concentration) and minor in political science.
Email: vbregman [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Kira Dunham
Research Manager
Kira rejoined EIP in 2022 after previously working as a researcher from 2014 to 2018. She has also worked as a senior climate & energy researcher and research manager at Food & Water Watch, a contractor with the EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs, and an intern with the Bonobo Conservation Initiative. She’s earned a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University, where she focused on environmental health and risk science. She also holds a BS in Environmental Science and Policy from the University of Maryland and a GIS certificate from George Mason University.
Email: kdunham[at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Lauren Fleer
Engineer
Lauren works as a staff engineer for the Center for Applied Environmental Science (CAES) and with EIP’s Texas Oil & Gas Program. Prior to joining EIP, she managed soil and groundwater remediation projects for the US Army Corps of Engineers. Lauren holds a M.S. in Environmental Engineering and Science from Northwestern University and a B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Email: lfleer [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Keene Kelderman
Research Manager
Keene joined the Environmental Integrity Project in 2016. Before joining EIP, Keene biked across the country from Washington, D.C. to Seattle, WA, where he and two friends raised money for Conservation International. He has also earned a B.A. in Chemistry from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
Email: kkelderman [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Louisa Markow
GIS Analyst
Louisa joined the Environmental Integrity Project in 2021. Prior to joining EIP, she worked as an AmeriCorps GIS Assistant for the National Park Service in Atlanta, GA, and a student researcher for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. She holds a B.S. in Conservation Biology and minor in Mathematics from Colorado State University.
Email: lmarkow [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Lottie Mitchell
Research Analyst
Lottie joined EIP as a research analyst in August 2022. Before joining, she worked as a community organizer in Wyoming focused on reducing the impacts of oil and gas development on Wyoming residents at the Powder River Basin Resource Council and as a climate researcher at the Epic Institute. She graduated from Stanford University with a B.S. in earth systems focused on ocean and climate science.
Email: lmitchell [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Alexandra Shaykevich
Research Manager
Alexandra joined EIP in 2019 and primarily supports our Oil and Gas Program. Prior to joining EIP, she worked as a Research Assistant for the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, an intergovernmental organization based in Doha, Qatar. Alexandra holds a M.S. in Environmental Sciences from the University of Copenhagen and a B.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Email: ashaykevich [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Nadia Steinzor
Policy and Research Consultant
Nadia is an environmental consultant with 25 years of experience in policy analysis, research, writing, and communications. She has developed and managed projects to investigate the oil and gas industry’s impact on the climate and communities, secure governmental protections for air, water, and wildlife, and engage the public in advocacy efforts. For nearly two years, Nadia has worked with the Environmental Integrity Project to document pollution and policy issues related to the U.S. aluminum industry and opportunities to solve them. Nadia holds an M.S. in environmental policy from the Bard College Center for Environmental Policy.
Email: nsteinzor [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Tyler Weiglein
Research Analyst
Tyler joined EIP in August 2022. He has a M.S. in Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation and a B.S. in Civil Engineering, both from Virginia Tech. While a graduate student, he was involved in the Virginia Scientist-Community Interface, a volunteer organization of STEM graduate students who provide technical expertise to community partners working on local and regional environmental issues.
Email: tweiglein [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Communications and Outreach
Brendan Gibbons
Oil & Gas Writer and Editor
Brendan joined EIP in June 2022 after working as an environmental reporter for the San Antonio Express-News and as senior reporter for the San Antonio Report. An avid outdoorsman, he launched The Trailist, a column reviewing hiking, biking and paddling trails in the San Antonio area. Before moving to Texas, he covered the oil and gas industry in Pennsylvania and other environmental subjects as a reporter for The Times-Tribune in Scranton, Pa. In the nonprofit sector, before joining EIP Brendan served as assistant manager of a Texas clean water advocacy organization, the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance.
Email: bgibbons [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Lisa Graves-Marcucci
Pennsylvania Coordinator, Community Outreach
Lisa has been a community advocate for over 20 years. Since joining EIP in 2009, her efforts to protect human health from power plant and oil and gas pollution have grown from the community to the regional and national level. Lisa has conducted extensive reviews of permit files for EIP, helped to identify violations, and organized citizen testimony at numerous public hearings before local, state and national agencies. Lisa was invited to speak before the National Academy of Sciences in October of 2004 in Washington, D.C., advocating for more effective regulation of coal combustion waste disposal. Ms. Graves-Marcucci is a lifelong resident of Pittsburgh’s Monongahela Valley and is a graduate of Duquesne University.
Email: lgmarcucci [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Paul MacGillis-Falcon
Research and Communications Associate
Paul joined the Environmental Integrity Project in 2021 as a communications intern before being hired full-time. Prior to his time with EIP, Paul served as a research intern for the Connecticut Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Council on Environmental Quality. He holds a B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Connecticut.
Email: macgillis [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Ari Phillips
Senior Writer and Editor
Ari joined EIP in 2018 after working as an environmental reporter and editor for ClimateProgress, Univision’s Project Earth, and Gizmodo Media’s Earther. He’s also freelanced for a number of outlets. He has masters degrees in journalism and global policy studies from the University of Texas at Austin and a B.A. from UC-Santa Barbara.
Email: aphillips [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Alexandria “Alex” Tayborn
Graphic Designer and Social Media Coordinator
Alex is an experienced graphic designer who joined EIP in 2023. Prior to joining, she worked as a senior graphic designer at Stratagon, a digital marketing agency in Charlotte, NC, and as a graphic designer at the Virginia Commonwealth University College of Engineering in Richmond, VA. She holds a B.F.A. in Studio Arts with a concentration in Graphic Design and a minor in Art History from Old Dominion University.
Email: atayborn [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Administration
Elise Donovan
Executive Assistant
Elise joined EIP In October of 2022. Before working for EIP, Elise served as an environmental health campaign intern through MASSPIRG in collaboration with Environment Massachusetts, as well as an environmental programming research intern with Amartya, a civil environmental educational center in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Elise graduated from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in May 2022 with B.A.’s in Environmental Studies and International Relations and a minor in Spanish and Hispanic Studies.
Email: edonovan [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Felicia Watkins Kimble
Operations Coordinator
Felicia joined EIP in January 2022. With nine years of human resources experience, she previously worked as an Human Resources Coordinator at a VA organization serving adults with disabilities and individuals with barriers to employment secure and sustain meaningful employment. She holds an A.A. from Montgomery College.
Email: fwkimble [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Dante Mack
Legal Assistant
Dante joined the Environmental Integrity Project in 2021. Prior to joining EIP, he helped coordinate a longitudinal study aiming to understand various factors affecting the mental health of Dartmouth students during the undergraduate experience. Dante graduated from Dartmouth College with a B.A. in Psychology, and a minor in Hispanic Studies.
Email: dmack [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Melanie Tillar
Legal Assistant
Melanie joined EIP in August of 2021 after working as a radio correspondent tracking the advancement and prevention of homelessness in the Austin area. She also worked closely with the district attorney of Grayson County for two years as a personal and extended aid to litigating attorneys in criminal justice. Between these ventures, she freelanced for a number of boutiques, providing them with vintage collections to combat the use of factory/fast fashion, and the harmful role it plays on our environment.
Email: mtillar [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Samantha Zuckerberg
Development Coordinator
Samantha joined EIP In August of 2023. Before working for EIP, Samantha served as an AmeriCorps VISTA for Gateway to the Great Outdoors in St. Louis. In addition to organizational development and grant writing, Samantha also led environmental education lessons and field trips for elementary and middle school students. Samantha graduated from the University of Michigan in May 2022 with her B.A. in Community & Global Public Health and a minor in Environmental Studies.
Email: szuckerberg [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
Of Counsel
Patton Dycus
Attorney
Patton focuses on enforcement of environmental statutes and other environmental litigation. Before joining EIP, he was a litigator at two large law firms in Atlanta, where he worked on lawsuits at the trial-court and appellate level in state and federal courts across the country. Patton graduated magna cum laude from the University of Georgia School of Law, where he served on the Georgia Law Review. He holds a B.A. from Rhodes College.
Email: pdycus [at] environmentalintegrity [dot] org
