Sara Barnowski
JD ’17
Sara is currently pursuing her JD at Vermont Law School with emphasis on energy and natural resources law and business law. Prior to law school, she was a Senior Analyst at CoEfficient, LLC, a start-up company that managed commercial and industrial energy efficiency projects by using future energy savings to pay for the installation of high-efficiency technologies. Sara also worked for the Carbon War Room where she was a member of the Energy Efficiency Operation. Sara has a BS in Environmental Engineering and a minor in Environmental Public Policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a MS in Environmental Engineering and Science from Stanford University. As a student, Sara focused her studies on the development of small scale, sustainable energy and water technologies, including establishing a campus laboratory for the production of biodiesel from waste vegetable oil, helping create and lead a workshop teaching Brazilian catadores how to convert diesel engines to run on vegetable oil, and deploying pedal powered mills and clothes washers to orphanages in Peru.
Elizabeth Bootz
JD/MELP ’17
Beth Bootz is a third-year student at Vermont Law School, pursuing a JD as well as a Masters in Environmental Law and Policy. She received her BS in Environmental Science from Loyola University Chicago in 2014. Since beginning her studies at VLS, she developed a passion for international environmental law and climate change issues. This led her to take classes such as legal adaptations to climate change and international environmental law. In the summer of 2016, Beth was an Honors Law Clerk for the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC where she worked for the Air Enforcement Division in the Mobile Source Enforcement Branch. Being able to witness air enforcement measures at the national level further fueled her passion for finding international solutions for climate change.
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 BS in Environmental Science from Northern Arizona University.
Dennis (DJ) Haskin
JD ’17
DJ is a third-year law student from Stafford, Virginia. During high school, DJ worked as an EMT-B for Dumfries Triangle Rescue Squad. He then attended the College of William and Mary and graduated with a BA in Environmental Policy and English. While at school, DJ worked at the Virginia Sea Grant and developed an interest in the science and policy of climate change, particularly as it related to the sea level rise that was affecting the local area. During his senior year, DJ was able to take classes at William and Mary’s Law School, which included a climate change seminar. This class exposed him to the legal side of many environmental issues and lead inspired him to pursue a law degree . After graduation DJ plans to head home to Virginia and apply his legal education to international issues of environmental enforcement and compliance.
Miranda Jensen
JD ’18
Miranda is a second-year JD student from Fargo, North Dakota interested in international environmental law. She spent last summer working as a student clinician at Vermont Law School’s Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic. Miranda earned her Bachelor of Arts from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota summa cum laude with majors in global studies and Chinese, and minors in English writing and French. Before coming to Vermont Law School, Miranda researched instances of citizen activism in China for a former college professor. Additionally, she spent a year between college and law school working as a legal assistant at the Fargo City Prosecutor’s Office while also working part-time for a major airline and traveling the world.
Jennifer Leech
JD/MELP ’18
Jenny grew up on the Maine coast hiking, camping, boating, and skiing, which gives her a deep appreciation for environmental responsibility. She received her BS in Biology from Duke University, where she focused her studies on Marine Science. Following her graduation from Duke, Jenny entered the military as a pilot. She served as an Army Aviator and test pilot, flying the UH-1H and CH-47D helicopters. After leaving the Army as a Captain, Jenny and her husband established a start-up environmental consulting firm to encourage sustainability, facilitate industry’s use of environmental developments, and introduce European green technology to U.S. markets. In addition, Jenny is a classically trained musician who developed a global vision while living and studying in Europe. Currently, Jenny is in her second year at Vermont Law School, pursuing both a JD and a Masters in Environmental Law and Policy, with a Certificate in Dispute Resolution.
Roxana-Andreea Mastor
LLM ’17
Global Energy Fellow
Roxana-Andreea Mastor received her LLB degree from the University of Bucharest in Romania and an LLM in International Law from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. During her studies, she gained experience in public state institutions and private international banks and law firms, and participated in Model UN, Model EU, and US student exchange programs. After graduation, Roxana worked as a Junior Lawyer in the Energy, Projects and Construction Department of CMS Cameron McKenna, an international law firm. There she advised international companies on energy and oil and gas projects using Romanian legislation and European and international legislative frameworks. Roxana is now pursuing an LLM in Energy Law at Vermont Law School, where she is a Global Energy Fellow at VLS’s Institute for Energy and the Environment.
Amy Pickering
JD ’17
Amy is currently pursuing a JD with a focus on environmental and climate change law. She grew up on the Kansas prairie, where she received a BA in Anthropology from the University of Kansas. After studying abroad in Italy, she became passionate about travel and the importance of being engaged in the global community. Following college, Amy spent a number of years working for social justice non-profits. In 2014, she received a Master of Public Health degree from the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. This is where she began to focus on the intersection of global public health and the environment. This past spring, she returned to Italy to study international law at the University of Trento. In May, she was awarded an Equal Justice Foundation fellowship to work with Our Children’s Trust in Eugene, Oregon, an organization leading the world in atmospheric trust litigation. Her passion for protecting nature, love of travel, and hope for future generations keep her focused on the, at-times daunting path toward mitigating the harmful effects of climate change. She intends to use her law degree to advocate for constitutional rights to a healthy atmosphere and environment and for climate change to be recognized as a public health issue.
Jonas Reagan
JD ’17
Jonas is a third year law student currently pursuing a JD at Vermont Law School with a general emphasis in environmental law. He is currently working as a student clinician at Vermont Law’s Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic. He received his undergraduate degree from Hendrix College where he majored in environmental economics and minored in biology. While studying abroad in Sweden, he became interested in international environmental issues after attending Stockholm Seminars, a lecture series sponsored by the Beijer Institute for Ecological Economics. He hopes to use his legal education to participate in international and domestic efforts to mitigate environmental degradation.
Julia Muench Rumburg
JD ’18
Julia is an avid traveller dedicated to the cause of environmental justice. She grew up outside of New York City, and obtained her B.S. in Natural Resources Management from SUNY College of Enviornmental Science and Forestry. She then chose to learn more about the environment up-close, and spent six months hiking the Appalachian Trail. After that, she moved to Colorado, where she advocated for sustainable energy projects on the local level. Most recently, her journey took her to Kenya, where she served as a high school science teacher with the Peace Corps. Witnessing first-hand the effects of climate change on equatorial peoples inspired her to pursue a more proactive approach to American environmental poicy. She therefore enrolled in Vermont Law School upon her return to the United States. She is currently in her second year, and is pursuing her JD with a focus on environmental justice and climate change policy.
Victoria Scozzaro
JD ’17
Victoria is currently a third year student at Vermont Law School. She received her BA from Baldwin Wallace University with a concentration in Sustainability and Business Administration. In her second year of college, Victoria studied abroad at the American Business School in Paris. This experience, combined with her increasing passion for fighting climate change, inspired her to seek a career in international environmental law and policy. Upon her return to Ohio in 2012, concerned about the hydraulic fracturing boom in her state, Victoria worked for Ohio Citizen’s Action on a campaign for chemical disclosure laws in fracking. She petitioned and fundraised door to door approximately 150 houses daily. This work instilled a desire to continue advocacy work, and lead her to believe that a law degree would help her do it. During the summer of 2015, Victoria clerked for Earthworks, a non-profit organization, and during the summer of 2016, she interned for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). At the DEP, she worked on cases involving clean and adequate supply of water; disposal of sewage; prevention of air, water, and noise pollution; and improving energy conservation throughout New York City.
Hannah Solomon
JD ’17
Hannah grew up in Toledo, Ohio, where she spent as much of her time outdoors as possible. She received her BA in History from The Ohio State University in 2014. While pursuing her degree, she became particularly interested in the ever changing relationship between humans and the land, and in the ways humans have affected the environment throughout history. Hannah also participated in a World War II study abroad tour in Europe, which sparked her love of travel and increased her global awareness. After obtaining her degree from Ohio State, Hannah began her studies at Vermont Law School. In the summer of 2015, she was an honors law clerk with the Environmental Protection Agency. This past summer, Hannah fought water quality issues as a law clerk for Columbia Riverkeeper in Hood River, Oregon, and spent most of her free time hiking in the scenic Columbia River Gorge. Hannah is in her third year at Vermont Law School and is pursuing a JD in Environmental Law.