MAPLE Initiative

Home Academics Centers and Programs Multistate Assistance for Public Service Leadership and Excellence (MAPLE) Initiative

Overview

The MAPLE Initiative supports students in exploring state public service through:

Experiential learning opportunities where students can engage in state agency work on energy and environmental law; and building out complementary curricular offerings;
Trainings, workshops, internships, and fellowships; and
Legal and policy reports, issue tracking, and other resources and events that contribute to public education on the role of state agencies on environmental and energy issues.

MAPLE invites collaboration to address resource gaps in scholarship in cutting edge areas across energy and environmental work and administrative law and policy.

As a leading environmental law and policy school, VLGS is committed to offering robust opportunities for students to gain critical career experience in the environmental field. Sixty-five percent of the Class of 2025 entered public interest positions upon graduation, and the MAPLE Initiative is well-aligned with the school’s commitment to applied learning and training the next generation of public service leaders.

Staff Members

Bethany Davis

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Visiting Assistant Professor
Executive Director, MAPLE Initiative

Expertise: Administrative Law, Environmental Law, State and Government Law

Jessica Bell

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Senior Energy Research Fellow, Institute for Energy and the Environment
Legal Director, MAPLE Initiative

Expertise: Energy Law and Regulation

Get Involved

MAPLE looks forward to working with both residential and online VLGS students as research assistants (paid or for credit). These positions are open to second- and third-year law students, as well as master’s and LLM students.

If you are interested in applying to work with the MAPLE Initiative this fall, please send your resume and a cover letter explaining your interest and availability to Legal Director Jessica Bell at jbell@vermontlaw.edu. The priority deadline for submissions is Monday, August 31.

Courses

Beginning in the spring of 2027, Bethany Davis will teach a seminar in government lawyering at the state level. The course will be focused on state attorneys general, their powers and duties, and how they play a role on the national scene. Stay tuned for more!