Whitney M. Beckham
JD/MELP ’15
Whitney M. Beckham is in her third year at Vermont Law School as a dual degree candidate for a J.D. and Masters of Environmental Law and Policy. Originally from Arkansas, Whitney has traveled throughout most of the United States and western Europe over the last 10 years. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology, studied abroad in Holland and then lived in the UK for two years after completing her undergraduate studies. Her background in science and upbringing in rural, agrarian Northwest Arkansas drove her to enter the world of environmental law and policy. Climate change is an area in which Whitney knows there is much work to be done; her science background and love of travel compel her to find new, creative ways through which she can use a law degree to educate the public and bring important global issues to light. Interested in local sustainability and international trade relations, Whitney knows she will find a way to connect local solutions to global issues while enjoying travel and harmonious relationships with friends, colleagues and the natural world we all call home.
Archer H. Christian
MELP ‘15
Born and raised in central Virginia, Archer spent her early working years as a solar greenhouse designer, farmer, energy auditor, engineering technician, and home remodeler. She received her B.S. from Vanderbilt University and her M.S. in Crop & Soil Environmental Sciences from VA Tech. For the past 26 years, Archer has worked in regional nonprofit organizations in sustainable agriculture/community food system development, chemicals policy reform, and clean energy/climate change mitigation advocacy. Her roles have ranged from Program Manager and Policy Coordinator, to Development Director and Executive Director. She lives in Ann Arbor, MI, pursuing her masters in environmental law and policy through Vermont Law School’s distance-learning program. She can be reached at archerchristian@vermontlaw.edu.
Catherine Craig
MELP ’15
Catherine Craig received her law degree from Northeastern Law and her MELP from Vermont Law School. She now works as a Carbon Neutral Coordinator for Etsy, focusing on the company’s solar program, policy work on carbon pricing, and its shift to neutrality. Etsy’s office in Brooklyn is slated to be the largest living building. Catherine grew up in Thetford, Vermont, and spent many years farming in and around her home town. She has an undergraduate degree in environmental science and policy from Hampshire College.Catherine was Chair of the Northeastern Environmental Law Society for her first and second years of law school. Her first clerkship was in the Environmental Protection Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office. This past Spring, she was a law clerk at the Department of Justice in Environmental Enforcement and this Fall she will be a law clerk serving Senator Leahy in his capacity as Chair of the United States Senate Judiciary Committee. Catherine is committed to seeking socially just solutions to climate change and was honored to be on the Vermont Law School delegation to COP20. She can be reached at: catherineameliacraig@gmail.com.
Taylor L. Curtis
MELP ’12
JD/Energy Certificate ‘15
Taylor plans to use her degree to advocate for sustainable and ethical energy initiatives necessary to combat climate change and minimize social injustice. After graduating with dual B.A. degrees, she started a proposal management company providing technical assistance for government contracts. In 2012, Taylor received a Masters of Environmental Law and Policy (MELP) from VLS and helped compose The Watt? An Energy 101 Primer. Now, as a JD student, she is a moot court member and research associate at VLS’s Institute for Energy and the Environment. Taylor has received the Blair Hamilton Fellowship for her work on community-scale renewable energy projects, the Phenomenal Woman’s Award, the Student Bar Association’s Pro-Bono Award, and the Hammer Award for her leadership regarding the month-long Sex, Gender, Expression & 1st Amendment Project. During the summer of 2014, she worked on climate and utility-led energy efficiency publications as a Beverage & Diamond Fellow with the Environmental Law Institute. You may contact Taylor at taylorcurtis@vermontlaw.edu.
Rebecca Davidson
MELP
Rebecca is currently a distance learning student in the Masters of Environmental Law and Policy program at Vermont Law School. Rebecca grew up in Tucson, Arizona and lives in Scottsdale, where she works as a Senior Water Rights Analyst at the Salt River Project, a water and power utility. Rebecca concentrates on issues associated with water policy and management, water sustainability in the arid southwest, forest and headwater protection actions, and the development of innovative partnerships and ecosystem service incentive and investment programs. Before joining the Salt River Project, Rebecca worked for the Arizona Game and Fish Department where she focused on state and federal land planning, natural resource and wildlife management, environmental regulations, and endangered species biology and monitoring. Rebecca has a B.S. in Environmental Science from Northern Arizona University.
Shaula Eakins 
JD ’15
A Colorado native, Shaula received her B.A. from Colorado State University in 2010, double majoring in Studio Arts and Philosophy. Shaula’s love of the natural beauty of the environment brought her to Vermont Law School to pursue environmental law. Since beginning law school Shaula has worked as a Research Assistant for the Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy, and the Environment, an intern at the Fort Collins City Attorney’s Office, and a volunteer at The Growing Project. She also spent a semester abroad studying international law at McGill University. She is a Head Notes Editor on Vermont Law Review and expects to graduate with a JD from Vermont Law School in May 2015.
Carla Santos
LLM in Energy Law ’15
Carla is a LLM in Energy Law candidate at Vermont Law School (VLS), and a Global Energy Fellow at the Institute for Energy and the Environment at VLS. Carla’s research at the Institute focuses on renewable energy projects, with an emphasis on sustainable biomass energy. She holds a law degree and a specialization degree in Brazilian environmental law from Pontificia Universidade Catolica, and a LLM in Environmental Law from VLS. Prior to coming to VLS, Carla worked as an attorney at Rio de Janeiro’s Environmental Agency, where she was responsible for analyzing environmental licenses and environmental impact statements, and drafting state regulations. Carla also spent a semester working at the legal department of Greenpeace East Asia (Beijing, China), where she was involved in projects related to COP18 and energy policies. You may contact Carla at carlasantos@vermontlaw.edu.
William (BJ) Schulte
LLM Fellow
Originally from the Jersey shore, William (BJ) Schulte is pursuing his passion for promoting environmental governance in China and throughout Asia as an LLM Fellow with Vermont Law School’s U.S.-Asia Partnerships for Environmental Law. BJ obtained his JD from Rutgers University School of Law in 2008, where he worked as a student clinician in the Rutgers Environmental Law Clinic and spent a summer internship at the Documentation Center of Cambodia in Phnom Penh researching evidentiary issues related to the Khmer Rouge Tribunals. Upon graduating, BJ spent five years practicing environmental law in the public interest in Newark, New Jersey, where he represented environmental and community groups on matters related to environmental permit reviews, environmental justice, air pollution reduction, watershed protection, and energy infrastructure proposals, among others. Additionally, BJ spent two years serving on the Jersey City Environmental Commission, where he worked with his fellow Commissioners and local citizen groups to push environmental initiatives at the municipal level. BJ can be reached at WilliamSchulte@vermontlaw.edu.
Cynthia Sirois
JD ’15
Cynthia is a third year JD student at Vermont Law School. Originally from South Berwick, Maine, she graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology with a BS in Environmental Science. She worked at the Environmental and Natural Resources Legal Clinic (ENRLC) on cases involving the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts. Cynthia serves as Secretary for the VLS chapter of the Federalist Society. You may contact her at cynthiasirois@vermontlaw.edu.
Macarena Vassallo
LLM ’15
Macarena is a LLM in Environmental Law candidate at Vermont Law School (VLS). She holds a social study major and a law degree from Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. Prior to coming to VLS, Macarena worked as an attorney at Urrutia & Co. in Santiago, where she was part of the Environmental Law Area, focusing mainly on Regulatory Law, Indigenous Law and communities. Macarena was responsible for performing environmental assessments, processed and negotiated environmental agreements and permits, facilitated civic participation, negotiations with affected communities, conflict mediation and crisis management. Macarena also worked at the Chile Justice Department, Bureau of Human Rights and in 2013 was chosen to be a member of a Delegation to Guatemala sponsored by the New York City Bar Association to assess the potential effects on the rule of law and international business climate in Guatemala of the ongoing prosecution of former President Efraín Ríos Montt and Mauricio Rodríguez Sánchez, his former head of military intelligence, on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity. You may contact Macarena at macarenavassallo@vermontlaw.edu.