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ACOEL Officers

ACOEL Officers

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Alexandra Dunn

President
Alexandra Dapolito Dunn, Esq. is President & CEO of CropLife America (Arlington, VA). She has over 30 years of experience practicing, teaching and writing in the environmental law, agricultural law, and policy sectors. At CropLife America, she leads the U.S. pesticide industry in advocating for sound and science-based policies, laws, and regulations that allow innovative tools to reach American farmers and advance productive crops and abundant food supply for the U.S. and other nations. Prior to joining CropLife America in March 2024, Ms. Dunn served as a Partner in the Environment, Safety, and Incident Response group at the international law firm of Baker Botts from 2021 to 2024, and as the unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate official responsible for chemical and pesticide regulation at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from 2019-2021. Other past roles include serving as the EPA Region One Administrator, Executive Director of the Environmental Council of the States, and Dean of Environmental Law Programs at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University. Ms. Dunn is an active member of both the American Bar Association's Section of Environment, Energy and Resources, and the Environmental Law Institute, having served as Chair and on the Board of each, respectively. 
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Jessica Merrigan

President-Elect
Jessie is a partner in the Kansas City and Overland Park offices of Spencer Fane. She counsels clients on environmental matters regarding regulatory requirements including permitting, compliance audits and enforcement response. She also assists clients in evaluation of environmental liabilities associated with real estate and corporate transactions, and represents clients in the litigation of environmental claims, including contribution claims under the federal Superfund law.
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Kathy Beckett

Treasurer
Kathy Beckett has experience practicing environmental, regulatory, and natural resources law. She has a national reputation for her ability to influence environmental policies on behalf of her clients. Kathy has worked sensitive public notice, comment, and engagement issues for large projects. Kathy works in a group of 15 experienced environmental lawyers and technical professionals. She is active in many industry trade groups and formerly served on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and chairs its Energy, Environmental, Climate, and Sustainability Committee. She serves on the Board of Directors of the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce and chairs its Environmental Committee. Kathy has served in a leadership role with the American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy and Resources. She is a Fellow of the American College of Environmental Lawyers and is rated in Chambers USA. Kathy is a board chair of the Black Diamond Council for the Girl Scouts serving multiple states. She is also trustee of the WV. Nature Conservancy and board member of DigDeep.
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Steven Miano

Secretary
Steve Miano is a Shareholder in and Chairs the Environmental Practice Group of Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin & Schiller in Philadelphia. He has been practicing environmental law for over thirty years. His practice includes all facets of environmental law and litigation, including federal and state cases involving the Clean Water Act, Hazardous Waste laws, Superfund, Brownfields redevelopment, mining and transactions. His clients include industrial corporations, commercial entities, educational organizations and municipalities. Before entering private practice, Steve was an Assistant Regional Counsel for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region III, Hazardous Waste Branch. He was an adjunct professor at Rutgers University Law School for many years, where he taught courses on environmental law. He is a frequent lecturer and has written on various environmental legal issues for a variety of publications. He has also served as a course planner for several national environmental law programs. He received his B.S. in Environmental Studies from George Washington University in 1982 and his J.D. from The University of New Hampshire School of Law in 1985. He was a judicial intern to the Honorable Martin Loughlin, U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire. Steve is listed in Chambers USA America's Leading Lawyers for Business, Who's Who of Business Lawyers for Environmental Law, Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America (Philadelphia Lawyer of the Year in 2016 and 2019). Steve a Past Chair of the ABA's Section of Environment, Energy and Resources. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Environmental Lawyers. From 1998-2005, he served as a member and Vice President of the Board of Trustees for the Support Center for Child Advocates and was named Distinguished Child Advocate in 1997. He is a graduate of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Arts & Business Council – Business on Board Program.
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Tracy Hester

Immediate Past President
Professor Hester teaches environmental law at the University of Houston Law Center. His research focuses on the innovative application of environmental laws to emerging technologies and unanticipated risks, including climate engineering, deep decarbonization (particularly in energy production), nanotechnologies, artificial intelligence, and advanced wind, solar, and other renewable power systems. Prior to joining the University of Houston Law Center, Prof. Hester served as a partner in Bracewell LLP for sixteen years and led that firm's Houston environmental group. In Fall 2019, Prof. Hester taught the first U.S. law school course on Climate Intervention Law, which focused on emerging climate engineering technologies and legal challenges. He also teaches classes on Environmental Law, Water Law, Natural Resource Damages Liability, Environmental Law in Oil & Gas, Climate Change Liability and Litigation, Environmental Enforcement, Emerging Technologies and Environmental Law, and Advanced Hazardous Waste Law. He originated and teaches an innovative Environmental Practicum that matches students with multiple leading environmental attorneys to work on practical projects and to develop innovative environmental initiatives. He also teaches the first year course on Statutory Interpretation and Regulatory Practice. Prof. Hester is currently the co-director and a co-founder of the Center for Carbon Management in Energy at the University of Houston. During the summer of 2014, Prof. Hester served as the interim Director of the North America Commission on Environmental Cooperation's Submission on Environmental Matters Unit in Montreal, Canada. The Environmental Law Institute also named him as its Environmental Scholar in Residence for 2015. Prof. Hester was inducted into the American College of Environmental Lawyers in 2015 (and named a Regent in 2018), elected as a member of the American Law Institute in 2004, and named the Top Environmental Lawyer in Houston in 2011 by Best Lawyers of America. He was also elected to the Council of the American Bar Associations Section on Environment, Energy and Resources (SEER) in 2011 through 2014, and he currently sits on SEER's Climate Change Task Force. Prof. Hester is the past chair of SEER's Climate Change, Sustainable Development and Ecological Services Committee, its Special Committee on Congressional Relations, and its Environmental Enforcement and Crimes Committee .

Past ACOEL Officers

Message from the President