Sarah Reiter – Professor/ Delegation Leader
Professor Reiter is experienced in managing large teams and negotiating complex natural resource policy issues. Professor Reiter’s work spans research on the ocean’s seafloor to its uppermost polar region, and has played a role in the negotiation of several environmental agreements. A former meteorologist, Professor Reiter was a commissioned United States Air Force Officer, managing an operational floor of scientists responsible for providing weather support to military bases west of the Mississippi. Her ocean law and policy experience at NOAA, Stanford University’s Center for Ocean Solutions, and Monterey Bay Aquarium contribute to her perspective on teaching students and writing about ocean conservation and climate issues. She continues to collaborate with colleagues on ocean conservation and climate initiatives through her Honorary Research Associate position at the University of Oxford, and through cross-disciplinary scholarship, which can be found in journals such as Science and Stanford Environmental Law Journal.
Antonia Douglas — Teaching Assistant
Antonia is a third-year law student at VLS focusing on Energy Law. She received her BA in Political Science, Environmental Studies, and Ethics from Randolph-Macon College. Her passion for international environmental law developed when she studied abroad in Tanzania during undergrad, where she studied wildlife conservation and management, leading her to pursue a law degree after graduating. She traveled to Myanmar and Cambodia, to study sustainable governance, corporate social responsibility, and regulatory capacity building. She spent her 2L summer interning in Virginia’s energy law sector. Outside of her studies, Antonia enjoys hiking, skiing, swimming, and being outdoors with friends and family. Antonia is an Academic Success Mentor, and a Research Associate for the Institute for Energy and the Environment at VLS. After graduation, she intends to use her degree to promote renewable energy development and sustainability throughout the east coast and to developing countries internationally.
Kristyn Ostanek — Teaching Assistant
Kristyn is a third-year law student focusing on international ocean policy. She received her BA in Marine Affairs from University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science in Coral Gables, Florida. While in undergrad, Kristyn focused her studies on fisheries management in fishing villages of developing nations. Additionally, Kristyn studied water law and policy in Vietnam and China, and studied environmental policy in Chile. Kristyn decided to attend law school to continue her lifelong passion of fighting for the ocean. During the summer after 1L year, she studied environmental governance in Cambodia and Myanmar. She also traveled to Italy, where she studied EU law at the University of Trento. She spent her 2L summer at SeyCCAT, working on blue carbon initiatives and reviewing NDCs. Upon finishing her studies at Vermont Law, Kristyn intends to pursue a career internationally in ocean policy.
Ashli Taylor — Teaching Assistant
Ashli is a third-year law student at VLS. She received her B.A. in Government and Politics, with minors in Middle Eastern Studies and Sustainability Studies from the University of Maryland. Her passion for climate change grew after researching the measures that Indigenous groups use to combat the adverse effects of sea level rise. She is also interested in environmental security and climate
refugees. Ashli spent her 2L summer working for Blue Ocean Law, an international law firm based in Guam, specializing in human and indigenous rights and environmental justice in the Pacific. Outside of her studies, Ashli is the president of the Native American Law Students Association and a research assistant for a collaboration between Vermont Law School, the School of Geography and the Environment at the University of Oxford, and SeyCCAT. After graduation, she intends to work on ocean policy relating to under-represented populations.
Marissa Pizana — Student Delegate
Marissa is a third-year law student at VLS focusing on International and Environmental Law. She received her BS in Environmental Science from the University of The Incarnate Word. Her passion for International Human Rights developed from taking a course focusing on environmental governance in developing countries. She recently finished up a summer internship with the criminal enforcement division of the EPA. After law school, Marissa would also like to litigate and clerk for a judge for a few years. She eventually hopes to travel to developing countries and assist in establishing environmental laws and regulations that comply with the nation’s human rights culture and economic values. Marissa is also very involved in the VLS community as she has been on many club executive boards, is a VLS Ambassador, and on the Moot Court Advisory Board. Outside of her studies, Marissa enjoys reading, listening to podcasts, watching Broadway plays, and spending time with her family and friends.
Taylor Tavormina — Student Delegate
Taylor is a second-year joint degree student at VLS pursuing a JD and a Master’s Degree in Environmental Law Policy. She received her B.A. in Sociology and Social Policy and Practice from Tulane University. Her interest in International Environmental Law developed from living and working abroad in Madagascar. Taylor experienced the negative impacts of environmental degradation caused by international actors living in remote villages along the Malagasy coast. Taylor hopes to use her education to make a lasting impact on future environmental law and policy initiatives. Taylor is currently involved in the VLS community though participating as a chair on the Vermont Law Outdoors Club E-board, serving as a VLS Ambassador, and working as a staff editor for the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law.
Paige Beyer — Student Delegate
Paige is a third-year law student interested in food and agricultural law and fisheries policy. She received her B.A. in English, with a concentration in Environmental Studies and an Italian minor from Kenyon College. During Paige’s undergraduate studies, her time working on a sustainable farm in Ohio further solidified her commitment to pursue specializing in environmental law, where fundamental issues such as safe water and sustainable food production are foundational community needs. She found that those working to ensure the longevity of the land inherently worked to ensure the longevity of their community. Paige’s interest in international environmental law developed when she studied in Perugia, Italy, conceptualizing and advocating for a community project in conjunction with University of Perugia’s School of Agriculture. Her passion for advocacy led her to pursue a law degree at Vermont Law School. Throughout law school, Paige has worked as a student clinician for the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems, a research associate for the Environmental Law Institute’s Ocean Program, and interned for the Vermont Natural Resources Board. She also serves as a Head Notes Editor on the Vermont Law Review, a member of the Moot Court Advisory Board, and as the program assistant for Vermont Law’s online learning program. After graduation, Paige intends to pursue a career in food law and policy working to make systematic change both domestically and abroad.
Vanessa Brown — Student Delegate
Vanessa is an LLM in Environmental Law student at VLS. She has practiced law in Vermont asa solo practitioner since 2013. She graduated from VLS in 2012 and was among the first group of Incubator attorneys selected by the Vermont Bar Association to establish solo practices in underserved areas of Vermont. In addition to operating a general practice serving primarily low income Vermonters, Vanessa spent three years tracking unconventional oil and gas development and resistance to it around the country. In 2018, she briefed and testified before the international Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal historic session on Human Rights, Fracking, andClimate Change on behalf of 350VT, the Green Mountain Druids, Protect Geprags Park, the Institute for Social Ecology, and an indigenous elder who is also the Grand Riverkeeper in Oklahoma. Vanessa is a 2009 graduate of Oregon State University where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in philosophy, cum laude, and was awarded the Peter C. List Award for excellence in the study in philosophy and the Ron Clarke Book Award for distinguished study in philosophy and the environment. Vanessa grew up in central Pennsylvania.
Suhasini Ghosh — Student Delegate
Suhasini is a third-year law student at VLS focusing on environmental law. She received her B.A. in Environmental Studies from Amherst College. Her interest in international environmental law developed when she took the course “International Law” at VLS in Spring 2020. She is also interested in food and agriculture law, energy law, international human rights, and the rights of climate refugees. Suhasini spent her 1L summer as a judicial intern for the Honorable Irma S. Raker in the Maryland Court of Appeals. She also was a legal intern for Miles & Stockbridge P.C. in the Environmental sub-group of the Products Liability and Mass Torts practice group. She spent her 2L summer as a law clerk at Dunkiel Saunders Elliott Raubvogel & Hand, a mission-driven firm with a diverse practice. At VLS, she is part of the Vermont Law Review, the Moot Court Advisory Board, is a Dean’s Fellow, serves as a research assistant for the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems, and is an Environmental Mission Scholar. In the years to come, Suhasini hopes to take her passion for environmental matters and pursue a career in environmental law and policy.
Julia Guerrein — Student Delegate
Julia is an Accelerated Juris Doctor student at VLS. She received her B.S. in Environmental Science from Penn State Behrend and was the editor-in-chief of the student-run newspaper, the Behrend Beacon. Julia is from Erie, Pennsylvania, where she spent time enjoying Lake Erie and Presque Isle State Park. As an undergraduate, she researched the impacts of road salt on freshwater environments, tested water for bacteria and Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs), and used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to analyze erosion. At VLS, Julia is the editor-in-chief of The Forum, VLS’s student-run newspaper, and completed research on holding plastic producers accountable for plastic pollution. She hopes to use her science background to help inform the law and would like to work internationally. In her free-time, Julia enjoys reading, cooking, hiking Vermont, and playing instruments.
Samantha Morrison — Student Delegate
Samantha is a third-year JD/MELP student at VLS. She received her BA in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Anthropology, with a minor in Business, from University of Colorado Boulder. During her undergraduate career, she traveled to South America where she studied Conservation Biology in Brazil and explored the Atlantic Rainforest. Her experience in Brazil opened her eyes to a career fighting for wildlife and biodiversity. Before attending VLS, Samantha lived in Israel where she participated in a teaching fellowship and taught English in an elementary school where the spoken languages were predominantly Hebrew and Russian. Her time abroad allowed her to explore the various cultures and cuisines throughout Europe and the Middle East. At VLS, she has focused her studies on Animal Welfare Law and various fields within Environmental Law. She served as Co-Treasurer of Animal Law Society, a Student Chapter of Animal Legal Defense Fund. She also served as President of Jewish Law Students Association. She is a member of Vermont Journal of Environmental Law, serving first as a Staff Editor and now as Senior Notes Editor. Samantha continues to follow her lifelong passion for protecting animals. She attended the 27th Annual Animal Law Conference and plans to virtually attend the Conference this October, which will focus on impacts on animals in a changing climate. She recently interned with Animal Welfare Institute as a Legislative Intern with Government Affairs. As part of her legal studies, she is working on a collaborative research project related to aquaculture. She intends to use her degrees to advocate for animals and dreams of working internationally to fight for species across the globe.
Jessie Griswold — Student Delegate
Jessie is a third-year law student at VLS focusing on Food and Agriculture Law. Before law school, she studied Marketing and Operations Management at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, where she earned her B.S. and MBA. Her experience studying business and working in the food industry for over ten years sparked her interest in legal issues related to food and agriculture. She developed an interest in International Human Rights and Climate Change Law through her commitment to solving issues related to food security, food safety, food labeling and misbranding, and industrial agriculture’s contribution to climate change. Her involvement in the VLS community includes working as a student clinician at the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems Clinic, serving as treasurer of the Food and Agriculture Law Society and publicity coordinator of the Environmental Law Society, and working as a staff editor and the senior notes editor of Vermont Law Review. This past summer, she worked as a legal policy intern for the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) based in Washington, D.C. Her (more recent) hobbies include cooking, stationary biking, reading, and staying connected with her friends and colleagues from a distance.
Lucas Waggoner — Student Delegate
Lucas is a third-year law student at VLS. His focus is on international environmental treaties and international environmental security. He received his BA in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from the University of Washington Tacoma. Lucas has a background as both an educator and as a journalist. His interest in environmental law stems from his childhood, where the polluted waters caused countless cancers to the population. After graduation, Lucas plans on pursuing a PhD in Peace Studies before starting an international environmental NGO.
Andrea Salazar — Student Delegate
Andrea Y. Salazar is pursuing a J.D and Master of Energy Regulation and Law at Vermont Law School. She holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from New Mexico State University. Andrea studied engineering abroad in Seoul, South Korea for an academic year as a Gilman International Scholar. Most recently, she was a legal intern at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Office of Administrative Law Judges. Andrea is also a teaching assistant for Legislation and Regulation, staff editor for the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law, and part of the inaugural class of the VLS/ Yale Climate Justice Clinic. After graduation, Andrea hopes to continue to engage with climate justice law and policy as it overlaps with the field of Energy. During her free time Andrea enjoys reading Chicana/o/x Feminist literature, practicing the cello, and volunteering in community organizations. She hopes, one day, to return to her hometown of El Paso, Texas.
