Elaine Sterrett Isely

Ms. Isely is a veteran of the West Michigan legal and environmental communities and has held a number of positions in the nonprofit and academic sectors focused on research, policy implementation, and collaboration. She’s served in leadership and as the interim executive director, deputy director, and director of water programs at the West Michigan Environmental Action Council; as project manager for West Michigan Strategic Alliance’s Green Infrastructure Initiative; research associate for the Annis Water Resources Institute at Grand Valley State University; Sea Grant Fellow with the Great Lakes Commission; and litigation attorney for Legal Aid of Western Michigan and the Michigan Migrant Legal Assistance Project, Inc. Ms. Isely has more than 30 years of experience in law, water policy, research, outreach, and public speaking. She holds a J.D. degree from Wayne State University Law School, an M.S. degree in Biology from Grand Valley State University, and a B.S. degree in Finance from the University of Maryland. She is appointed to the Michigan State Waterways Commission and serves on the Community Advisory Group for the PFAS contamination at the various Wolverine Worldwide contaminated sites in Northern Kent County (MI). She has published several academic and technical papers on environmental and collaborative management topics.