Executive Committee
Biographies
Chair:
Alexandra Dapolito Dunn
Association of Clean Water Administrators (ACWA)
Washington, DC
Alexandra Dapolito Dunn is the Chair of the American Bar Association’s Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources. She curently is the Executive Director and General Counsel of the Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators (ASIWPCA). Prior to this she was the Assistant Dean for the Environmental Program Pace University School of Law and Adjunct Professor of Law (Environmental Justice, Human Rights and the Environment) in White Plains, NY. Previously, Ms. Dunn served as General Counsel of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA). She also was Counsel to the American Chemistry Council in Arlington, Virginia. She began her legal career as an environmental associate in the D.C. office of Winston & Strawn. Dunn has represented parties, intervenors, or amicus curiae in over 25 federal and state environmental cases. She is admitted to the District of Columbia, New York, and Maryland bars, the U.S. Supreme Court, and federal circuit and district courts. Dunn earned her J.D. in 1994, magna cum laude, from the Columbus School of Law, Catholic University of America, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Catholic University Law Review and was selected as the Outstanding Woman Law Graduate and received a Dean’s Award for Dedicated Service to the Law School Community. She earned her BA in 1989, cum laude, in Political Science and French from James Madison University.
Chair Elect:
William L. Penny
Stites & Harbison PLLC
Nashville, TN
William L. Penny (“Bill”) is a member of the law firm of Stites & Harbison, PLLC in the Nashville, Tennessee office. He has practiced in the environmental law field for nearly 30 years. Before entering the private practice of law he was general counsel for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and its predecessor agencies for 10 years. His practice includes environmental remediation, water quality and wetlands, RCRA, CERCLA and UST regulatory and litigation matters before federal, state and local agencies and courts. He was the founding chair of the Environmental Law Sections of the Tennessee and Nashville Bar Associations. He is the principal author of A Practical Guide to Tennessee Environmental Law, has authored numerous articles on environmental law, maintains the Tennessee Environmental Law Blog and is a frequent speaker both nationally and locally on environmental law. He received his Bachelor of Arts from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 1975 and his Doctor of Jurisprudence from the Nashville School of Law in 1981. He is an instructor at the Nashville School of Law in Environmental Law and Administrative Law. In the Fall (unless there is an ABA event) you can find Bill at a University of Tennessee Football game either in Knoxville or wherever they play.
Vice Chair:
Steven T. Miano
Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin & Schiller
Philadelphia, PA
Mr. Miano is a Shareholder in the Environmental Department of Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin & Schiller in Philadelphia, PA. He has been practicing environmental law for over twenty-five years. His practice includes all facets of environmental law and litigation. His clients include industrial corporations, commercial entities and municipalities. Before private practice, Mr. Miano was an Assistant Regional Counsel for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region III, Hazardous Waste Branch. He is an Adjunct Professor at Rutgers University Law School where he teaches 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 planer for several regional and national environmental law programs.
Mr. Miano 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.
Mr. Miano is listed in Chambers USA America's Leading Lawyers For Business (Band I), Who's Who of Business Lawyers for Environmental Law, Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America. Mr. Miano is a former Publications Officer and Council member of the ABA's Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources and was the Co-chair of the ABA Section's Water Quality and Wetlands Committee from 2001-2003. He is also on the Editorial Board of the ABA Section publication, Trends, for which he served as Editor-In-Chief from 1997-2001. He is the co-author of the TMDL chapter in the Section's Clean Water Act Handbook and was the peer reviewer for the Section's Basic Practice Series book on RCRA. From 1998-2005, Mr. Miano served as a board member and Vice President of the Board of Trustees for the Support Center for Child Advocates, the largest agency of its kind in the country providing legal and social services to abused and neglected children and was named Distinguished Child Advocate in 1997. He is also a graduate of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Arts & Business Council - Business on Board Program.
Budget Officer:
Channing J. Martin
Williams Mullen
Richmond, VA
Channing J. Martin is Chair of the Environmental Law Group at Williams Mullen in its Richmond, Virginia office. He has practiced environmental law for more than 30 years, and he regularly represents clients, including manufacturers, electric utility power plants, foundries, petroleum companies and trade associations, in connection with permitting, compliance and enforcement matters before regulatory agencies and in state and federal court.
Within the Section of Environment, Energy and Resources, Channing has served as Chair of the 2010 Fall Meeting, Editor-in-Chief of Trends (the Section’s bi-monthly publication) and as a member of the Education and the Membership Services Groups. He is past Chair of the Virginia State Bar’s Environmental Law Section, and founder and past Chair of the Richmond Bar Association’s Environmental Law Section.
Channing is listed in Chambers U.S.A. America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Virginia Super Lawyers, Virginia’s Legal Elite and The Best Lawyers in America. He is author of numerous articles and chapters in national publications, including the Virginia chapters of Brownfields Law and Practice (LEXIS Publishing) and an upcoming Section book on institutional controls.
Active in civic affairs, Channing currently serves as a member of the Executive Committee of United Way of Richmond & Greater Petersburg and previously was Chair of the Greater Richmond United Way Campaign.
Channing received his B.S. in 1975 and his J.D. in 1979 from Washington & Lee University. He was a clerk to the Honorable A. Christian Compton of the Supreme Court of Virginia. In his spare time, he likes to sail.
Secretary:
Sonya Baskerville
Bonneville Power Administration
Washington, DC
Sonya Baskerville is the Manager for Bonneville Power Administration’s Office of National Relations. She is BPA’s liaison to the Department of Energy, other executive branch agencies, the Congress, energy trade organizations, and other stakeholders. Sonya previously was BPA’s Assistant General Counsel for Transmission from 2002-2005, representing BPA’s Transmission business and managing the BPA attorneys who also provided advice and counsel to Transmission. Prior that post, Sonya was a staff attorney in the Corporate section of BPA’s Office of General Counsel for 10 years.
Within SEER, Sonya has served as chair of the Hydro Power Committee, chair of the Congressional Relations Task Force, member of the 2010 Fall Meeting and 2011 ACEL planning committees, and on Council.
Sonya also is a member of Energy Bar Association, American Association of Blacks in Energy (DC Chapter president), Delta Sigma Theta Sorority (FCAC), and Zonta Club of Washington, D.C. (second vice-president).
Sonya earned a B.S. Engineering from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 1989 and a J.D. from Tulane University in 1992.
Education Officer:
Peter Wright
The Dow Chemical Company
Midland, MI
Peter Wright is a Managing Counsel with the law department of The Dow Chemical Company, where he counsels the company’s senior management and manages the legal issues and outside counsel with respect to Dow’s largest and most significant environmental matter, the mid-Michigan dioxin matter. He also has the global lead responsibility for counseling Dow on its merger and acquisitions and significant real property transactions. In addition he provides counsel on hazardous waste matters, sustainability, environmental disclosures, shareholder resolutions, public reporting obligations and product stewardship matters.
Prior to joining Dow, he was with Bryan Cave LLP and before that with Monsanto Company in St. Louis, Missouri. He began his legal career with the environmental practice group of Baker & Daniels in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Prior to becoming the Education Officer, he was the Chair of the Book Publications Board for the Section. He has previously served on the Section Council, Chaired a Planning Committee for the Section’s Fall Meeting, and served as the Chair of the In-House Counsel Committee and as a Vice Chair of other Section Committees. He has written for all of the Section’s publications and spoken at the Section’s conferences and elsewhere.
He earned his J. D., summa cum laude, from Indiana University in 1986 and his A. B, summa cum laude, from Wabash College in 1981.
Membership and Diversity Officer:
Pamela E. Barker
Appleton Papers Inc.
Appleton, WI
Pamela Barker currently holds the position of Executive Director of Environment, Health and Product Safety and Assistant General Counsel at Appleton Papers Inc., joining the company in February of 2007. Prior to that, she was a shareholder at Godfrey & Kahn S.C., a Milwaukee law firm where she practiced for 27 years. At Godfrey & Kahn she was the co-chair of the Environmental Energy Practice Group. Her primary area of practice was in federal and state environmental law focusing primarily on complex issues arising out of real estate transactions, corporate mergers and acquisitions and lender liability.
Pam has long held leadership positions with the State Bar of Wisconsin and the American Bar Association. In 1993 she was the first woman and youngest President of the State Bar of Wisconsin. Prior to that she served as the Chairperson of the Board of Governors of the State Bar of Wisconsin and was the President of the Milwaukee Young Lawyers Association. Pam served eight years in the House of Delegates of the ABA and served on the Executive Council of the Young Lawyers Division of the ABA. Within the Section of Environment, Energy and Resources, Pam has served on the Council, as Chair of the Governance Committee, and as Chair of the Environmental Transaction and Brownfields committee. She has also served on many committees within the American Bar Association including the Commission on Women in the Profession.
Pam was appointed by Wisconsin Senators Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold to serve on the Wisconsin Federal Nominating Commission to advise the Senators on federal, judicial and U.S. Attorney nominations.
Pam has received several awards including being named one of the top five lawyers in Wisconsin in 2007 by the Wisconsin Law Journal. In addition, she has been listed in several publications, including Outstanding Young Women in America and Wisconsin Super Lawyers. She is the former President of the Equal Justice Coalition and has served on the Board of Directors of the Legal Aid Society.
Pam has been a frequent lecturer on environmental issues that are sponsored by the American Bar Association, State Bar of Wisconsin and the National Brownfields Conference. In addition, she is frequently a guest lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School.
In 1979 Pam received a Juris Doctorate from the University of Wisconsin Law School, magna cum laude, and received a B.A., cum laude from Beloit College.
Publications Officer:
Seth A. Davis
Elias Group LLP
Rye, NY
Seth A. Davis is a partner in Elias Group LLP, in Rye, New York, co-chairing the firm’s environmental and energy practice since 2004. He handles a wide variety of environmental issues arising out of a wide range of corporate and real estate transactions, regularly represents responsible parties in site remediation and cleanup negotiations, and counsels corporate and individual clients on compliance with all the environmental statutes. Previously, Seth was a partner in Huber Lawrence & Abell in New York City for 12 years. Prior to his return to private practice, Seth practiced environmental law in the law departments of Revlon, Inc. and the Celanese Corporation. During the more than 30 years he has specialized in the area, Seth has worked in just about every area of environmental, health and safety law.
Seth is an Adjunct Professor at Pace University Law School, teaching a course in Environmental Law in Commercial Transactions. Within SEER he has chaired the Section’s Committees on Site Remediation, andEnvironmental Transactions and Brownfields and the Website Task Force, and served a term on Section Council. Seth received his J.D. from Harvard University in 1975, and his B.A., Summa cum laude, in 1972 from Wesleyan University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
Seth is Chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals for the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, where he resides. He is Director of Destination Imagination, the world’s largest creative problem-solving competition, for the Eastern Region of New York. He can often be found following his diverse passions at Yankee Stadium, Lincoln Center, and Saratoga Race Course.
Seth is painfully aware that, no matter else he accomplishes, he will be remembered for being a 4-time winner on “Jeopardy!” in 1991.
Immediate Past Chair:
Irma S. Russell
The University of Montana
Missoula, MT
Irma S. Russell, Immediate Past Chair of the ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources, is Dean and Professor of Law at The University of Montana School of Law. Prior to coming to Montana, Dean Russell was the NELPI Professor and Director of the National Energy-Environment Law & Policy Institute at the University of Tulsa College of Law.Among the courses she has taught are Environmental Law, International Environmental Law, Natural Resources Law, Professional Responsibility, Administrative Law, Contracts, and Appellate Advocacy. She has written and lectured on topics relating to sustainability, energy law, environmental law, and ethics. Additionally, she has authored two books, Mastering Contract Law (with co-author Barbara Bucholtz 2011), and Issues of Legal Ethics in the Practice of Environmental Law (ABA 2003). Dean Russell earned two undergraduate degrees (liberal arts and education), a master’s degree in English literature, and her law degree at the University of Kansas.
Russell currently serves on the ABA Standing Committee on Professionalism and is also Chair of the AALS Section on Socio-Economics and Chair-Elect of the AALS Section on Natural Resources. For the Section, she has served as Education Officer, Chair of the Strategic Response Committee, Chair and Vice-Chair of the Ethics Committee, and Section Liaison to the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility. She was founding Chair of the Memphis Bar Association Environmental Law Section and served as Chair of the Tennessee Bar Association Environmental Section. Dean Russell is an elected member of the American Law Institute and The American College of Environmental Lawyersand a member of Phi Kappa Phi, the Judicial Conference for the Tenth Judicial Circuit, and the American Bar Association.
Section Delegate to the ABA House of Delegates
Lee A. DeHihns III
Alston & Bird LLP
Atlanta, GA
Lee DeHihns is a member of Alston & Bird’s Environmental and Land Use Group. He concentrates on regulatory matters and defensive litigation matters for industrial and municipal clients. His areas of concentration include air quality, hazardous waste, water quality and wetlands matters, corporate audits, compliance program development, debarment, and white-collar criminal defense. Lee joined Alston & Bird in 1990 after serving four years as Deputy Regional Administrator of USEPA Region 4. Lee received a Senior Executive Service Meritorious Rank Award from President Bush in 1989. His career began with USEPA in 1974 in Washington, D.C. where he rose to the position of Associate General Counsel. He was the Section Chair (2007-2008) and a member of the Council (2001-2004). He was the Chair of the ABA Delegation to the UN’s Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in June 2012. He was a Class Representative in the SOC (2005-2008) and also served on the SOC Executive Committee (2005-2011). He was the Chair of the Water Quality and Wetlands Committee (1999-2001). Lee received his B.S. from the University of Scranton in 1967 and his J.D. from Catholic University of America in 1974. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America and in Chambers USA America's Leading Lawyers for Business under environmental law.
Section Delegate to the ABA House of Delegates
Sheila S. Hollis
Duane Morris LLP
Washington, DC
Sheila Slocum Hollis is chair of the Washington, D.C. office and serves on the firm's Executive Committee and Partners' Board. Ms. Hollis practices in the areas of energy transactional and regulatory law, and international and administrative law before government agencies, Congress and other entities. She specializes in domestic and international energy, water and environmental matters, representing governmental bodies and the power and natural gas industries. She was recently named one of the 50 Key Women in Energy worldwide and was a finalist for Lifetime Achievement in Energy in Platt's Global Energy Awards. Ms. Hollis is the first attorney in private practice to be nominated for the award. With a long career in issues relating to infrastructure, energy reliability, enforcement and compliance, and international energy policy, Ms. Hollis recently successfully represented the District of Columbia in a key electric reliability case.
