Vermont Law and Graduate School invites scholars and journalists in the fields of environmental, energy, agriculture, animal advocacy, and international environmental law and policy to serve as Distinguished Summer Scholars and Media Fellows in residency during the VLGS Summer Session. Each visiting scholar or fellow delivers a public lecture, participates in informal social events on campus, and is available to meet with students and faculty individually. These distinguished visitors are a significant intellectual resource for our summer students and offer valuable networking opportunities.
The Environmental Law Scholar is Gerald Torres, Professor of Environmental Justice and Professor of Law, Yale Law School. Professor Torres has spent his career examining the intrinsic connections between the environment, agricultural and food systems, and social justice. His research into how race and ethnicity impact environmental policy has been influential in the emergence and evolution of the field of environmental justice. His work also includes the study of conflicts over resource management between Native American tribes, states, and the federal government.
The Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Scholar is Mavis Gragg, a self-described “death and dirt” attorney and conservation professional empowering families to use real estate as a source for intergenerational resiliency and wealth. She currently serves as the Director of the Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention and as the CEO of HeirShares, which is building groundbreaking technology to facilitate affordable solutions for family real estate ownership.
The Animal Law Scholar is Iselin Gambert of George Washington University. She joined the GW Law faculty in 2009 and currently teaches in and serves as the Director of the Fundamentals of Lawyering (FL) Program. Among her many achievements, she is faculty co-director of GW Law’s Animal Legal Education Initiative, a project dedicated to developing Animal Law as a stand-alone legal discipline that is fully integrated into the legal academy. Her 2019 Brooklyn Law Review article "Got Mylk? The Disruptive Possibilities of Plant Milk" was identified as a “Notable & Quotable” in the Wall Street Journal. She was also selected to be part of the U.S. Feminist Judgments Project, for which she wrote a commentary on Frontiero v. Richardson, which was published in the 2016 book Feminist Judgments: Rewritten Opinions of the United States Supreme Court by Cambridge University Press.
The Climate Law Scholar is Richard Wallsgrove, Associate Professor; Co-Director, Environmental Law Program; Director, Environmental Law Clinic, William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. Professor Wallsgrove serves as the faculty advisor to the Environmental Law Program and teaches in a variety of areas, including energy policy, international environmental law, business associations, and contracts. He also works with the Pacific Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments program to analyze climate adaptation policies for freshwater resources in island settings.
The Energy Law Scholar is Heather Payne, Professor Law, Seton Hall University School of Law. Professor Payne is a leader in the areas of energy law, environmental law, and evolving regulatory policy. A former chemical engineer and corporate executive, she brings a deep understanding of both the technical and economic implications of policies to address new realities in a carbon- and water-constrained world.