About Us

Our Mission

We don’t want environmental law students to forget why they came here. One great beauty of pursuing a career to help affect environmental change is the inherent personal connection to the work. The symbiotic relationship between us—especially as environmental law students—and our natural environmental can provide an incessant source of motivation and should not be lost. Thus, the mission of the Environmental Law Caucus is to provide a forum for law students to connect with the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest and embrace environmentalism on a personal level.

2021-2022 Board Members

 

President: Tiffany Hawkins (she/her), Class of 2022, thawkins@lclark.edu 

Tiffany is a 3L interested in all things Environmental! She attended Texas A&M University –
Corpus Christi where she pursued environmental and life sciences, marine and coastal resources,
and policy and regulation. Her studies have become focused on environmental, natural resource,
and energy law and policy. Loving nature, some of her outdoor hobbies include hiking, swimming,
scuba diving, snowboarding, and paddle boarding. ELC is one way Tiffany is able stay involved
with nature while pursuing her law degree in order to better protect the environment and
preserve its treasures.

Vice President: Amanda Burgess (she/her), Class of 2022, aburgess@lclark.edu 

Amanda is a 3L pursuing environmental law with a specific interest in the Clean Water Act and administrative law. Other interests include hiking, camping/backpacking, cooking, travel, fly fishing, hot yoga, and exploring the PNW with friends and her dog Mango. 

Secretary: Amy Kraitchman (she/her), Class of 2023, amykraitchman@lclark.edu

Amy is originally from Oakland, California and she graduated in 2019 from Oregon State University with a BS in Environmental Economics and Policy with minors in Political Science and French. Her studies at Oregon State was focused a lot of climate change and resource management related issue, although she is excited to explore other aspects of environmental law at Lewis & Clark. When not studying, her other interests include, hiking, camping, scuba diving, reading, and watching reality tv.

Treasurer: Lydia Dexter, Class of 2023, lydiadexter@lclark.edu

Lydia is originally from Nebraska, graduating in 2020 from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln double majoring in Spanish and Advertising and Public Relations. She chose to go to Lewis & Clark for law school to pursue her passion of environmental justice, aiming to work in Environmental and Indian Law. Outside of ELC, Lydia is also involved in the Animal Law Review, where she works as the Managing Editor, as well as being an active member of the Native American Law Students Association. Lydia enjoys spending her free time enjoying the infrequent sunshine and getting to know her new home of Portland.

Community Outreach Coordinator: Dylan Sollfrank (he/him), Class of 2023, dylansollfrank@lclark.edu

My name is Dylan Sollfrank. I am 22 years old and originally from the San Francisco Bay Area in California. I graduated from the University of California Davis with a BS in “Environmental Policy Analysis & Planning.” As an undergraduate, I was heavily involved with improving the sustainability of the student housing and dining operations on campus. More specifically, my work here included working to increase the energy efficiency of the buildings themselves, ensuring that food was procured sustainability and was not wasted, and educating students about sustainable habits and practices. I also founded and led an environmental education organisation that visited local K-12 classrooms and taught children about the causes and effects of climate change. I came to L&C to pursue a career in environmental law, and am particularly interested in the environmental effects of industrial agriculture, as well as how the different aspects of our governmental system can affect our ability to address climate change. In my free time I am always up for any sort of outdoor activity, and am especially fond of soccer, hiking, and skiing. I also play a bit of guitar and love all types of older music.

1L Representative: Elise Koepke (she/her), Class of 2024, elisekoepke@lclark.edu

Elise is originally from Atlanta, Georgia, and graduated from Georgia Tech in 2020 with a BS in Earth & Atmospheric Sciences and minors in Public Policy and Global Development. She is interested in energy law and international environmental law. In her free time, she enjoys long-distance running, live music, and exploring the city on her bike.

1L Representative: Nathan Williams, Class of 2024, nathanwilliams@lclark.edu

Nathan is a 1L student pursuing a degree in environmental law. He is a born-and-raised Portlander who graduated from Lawrence University in 2020, studying Philosophy and Environmental Science. He loves getting outside and exploring the beautiful PNW, but welcomes the rainy season as a chance to get cozy and lose himself in a good book.

Leadership

Elected board members, with the assistance of 1L representatives to the student body, govern the Environmental Law Caucus. The leadership of ELC aims to embody good stewardship and an appreciation of our environment in every activity we do. Please contact us if you are interested in leadership opportunities with ELC.

Annual Events 

• Swift Watch at Chapman School - September
• Mushaboom! Mushroom Hunt Weekend in Mount Hood National Forest: October - November
• Public Interest Environmental Law Conference at the University of Oregon: Early March
• Hikes, adventures, volunteer projects, and good times throughout the year

Stewardship Projects

The ELC encourages getting dirty with the earthy. We promote events and ideas dedicated to shaping trajectories of social-ecological change at local-to-global scales. Projects include:

• Ivy pulls
• Responsible food choices
• Tree planting
• Edible garden/composting
• Seed swap and planting

Please contact us with your own ideas and suggestions!

Sustainability at Lewis & Clark

Defining and achieving “sustainability” is a work in progress at Lewis & Clark. All three campuses work together to form the Sustainability Council. Members of the Lewis & Clark law school community work to ensure that we have a voice in this initiative. More information here.