product

Glenda Cafer is a shareholder at Cafer Law LLC. She concentrates her practice in the energy, public utility, and telecommunications sectors, and she assists clients on a wide range of issues before the Kansas Corporation Commission. Her extensive experience enables her to advise clients on complex regulatory matters including compliance, certification, transmission siting, mergers and acquisitions, rate and tariff applications, assessments, as well as a variety of more general business concerns. Her clients include large public electric and telecommunications utility organizations, rural electric cooperatives, transmission companies, and energy marketers. Prior to forming Cafer Pemberton LLC, Ms. Cafer was the sole shareholder of Cafer Law, L.L.C. Ms. Cafer also served as the Chief of Utilities and the General Counsel of the KCC where she testified on behalf of the Commission before the Kansas legislature, made presentations to industry and customer associations regarding utility and KCC policy and issues, litigated numerous cases before the agency, and represented the KCC on a variety of matters at the District Court, the Kansas Court of Appeals, and the Kansas Supreme Court.

Frank A. Caro is a shareholder and practice chair at Polsinelli PC. He serves his energy and utility industry clients as a partner in meeting their legal challenges, as well as a trusted resource for strategies that are built on his vast experience in business, regulatory and government affairs. As chair of the firm’s national energy group, he has been representing clients in the electric, gas and telecommunications industries for more than 30 years, during which time he has assisted in structuring complex business, regulatory and legislative solutions to his clients’ most challenging legal problems. Mr. Caro supports clients that are involved in all facets of the energy industry from developers to end-use consumers. His energy clients have included energy producers, oil and gas gathering systems, pipelines, large public utility/energy industry organizations, renewable energy developers, rural electric cooperatives, municipal power, energy marketers, and industrial and commercial users of utility services. Mr. Caro acts as general regulatory counsel to municipal utilities, electric cooperatives and renewable energy developers. He also represents clients before the Missouri Public Service Commission and the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) on various matters involving certification proceedings, mergers and acquisitions, rate tariff applications, generic rulemaking proceedings and complaints. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Caro served as general counsel for the KCC and acted as chief trial counsel in numerous hearings before the KCC, FERC and FCC.

Rachel D. Guthrie is an environmental attorney at The Justis Law Firm LLC in Overland Park, where she specializes in CERCLA (“Superfund”) cost recovery and contribution cases. She is also the president and Founder of American Wolf Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to endangered and threatened wolf conservation, with a special emphasis on the American red wolf (C. rufus), the world’s most endangered wolf, historically native to Missouri. Ms. Guthrie double-majored in Biology and Environmental Studies at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She worked as a fisheries biologist on commercial fishing vessels in the Bering Sea of Alaska and as a primate zookeeper intern at Audubon Zoo in New Orleans before receiving her J.D. degree with Certificate in Environmental & Natural Resource Law from Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon. She is a vice chair of the American Bar Association’s Endangered Species Committee, and she recently served a three-year appointment on the Kansas City Environmental Management Commission, co-chaired the Kansas City Metro Bar Association’s Environmental & Energy Committee, and was a member of the Midwest Innocence Project’s NextGen Advisory Board. She is licensed to practice in Missouri and Kansas, with admissions to numerous federal district courts and the Fifth and Sixth Circuit Courts of Appeals.

Timothy P. Orrick is a founder/partner at Orrick & Erskine, LLP. He began building his private practice in 1994 when he joined the firm then known as Parkinson, Foth & Reynolds, and later as Parkinson, Foth & Orrick and Foth & Orrick. The foundation of his practice has been real estate and other valuation litigation, with a special emphasis in condemnation and eminent domain litigation. Mr. Orrick was one of only four Kansas lawyers named in The Best Lawyers in America in its 2007 Edition, when it began a distinct category for condemnation and eminent domain specialists, and he has also been named in the 2008-2015 editions. Over the course of his career, he has presented hundreds of cases to court-appointed appraiser panels, has tried more than 50 jury trials, and has argued numerous cases before the Kansas Supreme Court.

Kimberly Gencur Svaty is the principal of Gencur Svaty Public Affairs, a Kansas-based public relations firm has successfully implemented government relations, public affairs and community outreach strategies for Fortune 100 companies in the utility, wind energy and telecommunications industries for nearly two decades. After serving the Chairman of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, she honed her skills with an M.A. degree in International Studies while serving at the Dole Institute of Politics, Lawrence, Kansas. Mrs. Svaty and her husband Josh, the former Secretary of Agriculture and a seven-year member of the Kansas Legislature, own and operate Free State Farms, a diversified crop and livestock operation in Ellsworth County and are proud parents to four young children. Her unique approach to public relations and core government relations values are best expressed as connecting people; promoting ideas and growing community.

Reuel Anderson is the NPDES Permits and Compliance Section supervisor for the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality. The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program in Nebraska issues permits for wastewater and stormwater discharges to waters of the state. Mr. Anderson has a bachelor of science degree in Fisheries and Wildlife from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He has 20 years of experience in the environmental sciences and has been with NDEQ for 12 years.

Jill Dolberg is the deputy state historic preservation officer for the State of Nebraska. Her office and staff operate under the auspices of History Nebraska, which was formerly known as the Nebraska State Historical Society. During her 19-year tenure with the State Historic Preservation Office, she has coordinated the Nebraska Historic Resource Survey and Inventory, planning the survey of 17 counties, and has nominated over 50 properties to the National Register of Historic Places. For the last 11 years, Ms. Dolberg has coordinated the Section 106 review of projects that may have impacts on standing structures. She studied History at Nebraska Wesleyan University, graduating in 1995, and received her Master’s degree in Public History from Colorado State University in 1999.

Carey Grell is an environmental analyst supervisor for Nebraska Game and Parks Commission in the Planning and Programming Division. As a member of the environmental review team at NGPC, she reviews projects that have a state or federal nexus (permit or funding) and works with project proponents to avoid impacts to state-listed endangered and threatened species and other resources of NGPC concern. Ms. Grell graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in Natural Resources. She has worked at NGPC for 21 years in various positions, including environmental review work, monitoring endangered species, and working with nongame birds and waterfowl, and she has spent time working at a Nebraska State Park.

Ryan Joe is a program specialist in the NPDES Permits and Compliance Section at the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ). Mr. Joe is NDEQ’s primary contact and coordinator for the State Construction Stormwater and Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) programs. He has a bachelor of science degree in Biology from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and a master of science degree in Biology from the University of Illinois-Springfield. Prior to working for NDEQ, Mr. Joe worked as an environmental analyst for Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and has worked in the environmental sciences for six years. He has been with NDEQ since January 2018.

Timothy J. Texel is executive director and general counsel of the Nebraska Power Review Board. Mr. Texel was appointed by the Board to serve in this position in August 1998. He serves at the discretion of the Board. The Power Review Board is the state agency with primary jurisdiction over electric power suppliers operating in the State of Nebraska. In addition to his administrative and managerial duties, he is the hearing officer for all hearings conducted by the Board, is responsible for monitoring legislation pending before the Nebraska unicameral, providing testimony at legislative hearings on bills pertaining to the Board, representing the State of Nebraska before the Western Interconnection Regional Advisory Body, and other duties. Prior to his appointment by the Board, he served as an Assistant Attorney General with the Nebraska Department of Justice (1995-1998), where he handled civil matters for 12 state agencies including trial and appellate-level representation, review of new or amended regulations, drafting of Attorney General Opinions, and general advice on all administrative or regulatory matters. From 1991 to 1994 he served as a judge advocate in the United States Army with the 25th Infantry Division in Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

C. Eric Davis is an attorney in Phillips Murrah’s Clean Energy Practice Group and the Government Relations and Compliance Practice Group. He represents clients in a range of regulatory and energy matters. His governmental experience includes serving as an assistant attorney general for the State of Oklahoma. Mr. Davis was also an attorney for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission and the Oklahoma Tax Commission, and clerked two years for the state trial courts of Vermont. Mr. Davis received his J.D. degree from the University of Michigan Law School and his undergraduate degree from Oklahoma State University. Mr. Davis is also a graduate of the Oklahoma Bar Association’s Leadership Academy, a past board member of the OBA Young Lawyers Division, and an alumnus of Leadership Oklahoma City.

Anthony Hendricks, a senior associate at Crowe & Dunlevy, is a member of the firm’s Bankruptcy & Creditor’s Rights, Energy, Environment & Natural Resources, Litigation & Trial, Criminal Defense, Compliance & Investigations and Administrative & Regulatory Practice Groups. He has focused his practice in environmental compliance, regulatory permitting and litigation. He frequently represents clients in environmental matters before the Oklahoma Corporation Commission and the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, in addition to federal and state courts. Mr. Hendricks is also a member of the firm’s wind group, advising clients on the development and financing of wind projects. He received his juris doctor degree from Harvard Law School. He was a 2007 British Marshall Scholar and holds a master’s degree in Public Policy and Administration and a master’s degree in Politics and Communications from the London School of Economics. He also holds a bachelor of arts degree in Speech Communication from Howard University in Washington, D.C.

Hailey M. Hopper, an associate at Pierce Couch Hendrickson Baysinger & Green, LLP, grew up in Norman, Oklahoma, and began working at Pierce Couch in 2012. She is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma College of Law. Her practice areas consist of general litigation, primarily defense, including professional, transportation and premises liability for personal injury and property damages, as well as mass tort and construction-related damage claims for energy service companies, contractors and public utilities. Ms. Hopper was selected by her peers as one of the Oklahoma Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” of 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Mason Schwartz is an attorney at Williams, Box, Forshee & Bullard, P.C., located in Oklahoma City. He began with the firm in 2014 as a clerk while attending the University of Oklahoma College of Law. His practice with the firm began in 2016 upon graduating from the University of Oklahoma College of Law and gaining admission to the Oklahoma Bar. His practice areas consist of condemnation litigation, zoning and planning, and related land use matters. Mr. Schwartz’s condemnation experience includes representing electric utilities, natural gas pipelines, and other condemning authorities in Oklahoma eminent domain litigation. His condemnation experience further includes representing property owners in litigation against the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.

Natasha Scott, Managing Deputy General Counsel of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, has several years of governmental and administrative practice experience. Ms. Scott currently manages the Commission’s unit of staff counsel who represent the agency’s Oil & Gas, Public Utility, Transportation, and Petroleum Storage Tank Divisions in administrative matters before the Commission.  She previously served as Deputy General Counsel for Public Utility and was the Commission’s lead attorney in numerous energy-related matters.  Ms. Scott continues to practice in utility regulation in matters concerning electricity, natural gas, wind, and water, among other areas within the Commission’s jurisdiction.  Ms. Scott was also an attorney for the Oklahoma Tax Commission and worked in private practice immediately after admission to the Oklahoma Bar.  Ms. Scott holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Oklahoma and is a graduate of Oklahoma City University’s School of Law. 

Kimber Shoop, a partner at Crooks Stanford & Shoop, focuses on providing businesses with legal solutions in regulatory proceedings, complex litigation, environmental matters, corporate compliance, employment law issues, business transactions, and contract drafting and negotiation. Before entering private practice, Mr. Shoop served 11 years as senior counsel and managing director of Legal for OG&E where he managed legal issues in areas such as integrated resource planning and regulatory approvals for generation. He served as the lead environmental counsel for OG&E and first chair for numerous rate cases and regulatory proceedings at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. Prior to joining OG&E, Mr. Shoop was an associate in the Energy Practice Group of Troutman Sanders in Washington D.C.

Robert D. Singletary, a director at Crowe & Dunlevy, is a member of the Energy, Environment & Natural Resources Practice Group. He focuses his practice on all aspects of environmental regulation, as well as on matters related to obtaining or protecting water rights. He has nearly 18 years of environmental legal experience representing clients at the federal and state levels in all facets of environmental regulation including regulatory compliance and enforcement, permitting, rulemaking, and matters related to proposed or pending legislation. His regulatory experience spans all media including water quality regulation, hazardous and solid waste regulation, and extensive experience in the area of air quality regulation (including nearly seven years as the lead air quality attorney for the State of Oklahoma). Prior to joining Crowe & Dunlevy, Mr. Singletary served for almost 16 years in various environmental and regulatory roles for the State of Oklahoma and for the Federal government.

Susan E. Bruce, a member at McNees Wallace & Nurick, LLC, has a broad-based regulatory and transactional energy practice, primarily focused on representing commercial, institutional, industrial, and municipal customers in electric and natural gas matters. She regularly advises clients on energy and natural gas supply options, including assisting with requests for proposals, and negotiating retail and wholesale energy contracts as well as demand response contracts, creating energy services affiliates, and developing on-site generation, including combined heat and power (CHP) energy projects. Ms. Bruce’s practice also involves advising clients on matters involving renewable energy.

Matthew Garber, an associate at McNees Wallace & Nurick, LLC, represents business and municipal clients in utility-related contract negotiations and energy litigation. He focuses on achieving cost savings for clients in regards to their electric, natural gas, and water/wastewater utility services. Mr. Garber also represents large industrial and commercial entities before state and federal administrative agencies, and advocates for clients on policy matters before the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.

Associate at K&L Gates LLP
Mr. Macfarlan is an associate in the firm’s environment, land and natural resources practice group. He counsels energy, industrial, utility and commercial sector clients on compliance with federal, state and local environmental and land use laws. He works with regulatory regimes governing wastewater and stormwater discharges, wetland and stream protection, air emissions, solid and hazardous waste management, water withdrawals, chemical and toxic substance controls, release reporting and response, and preservation of endangered species, cultural resources and historic properties.

Errin T. McCaulley, Jr., is an associate in McNees Wallace & Nurick’s Harrisburg office focusing on environmental, health, and safety (“EH&S”) compliance. In addition to assisting commercial and industrial interests with EH&S, a large part of his practice includes aiding real estate developers throughout the various stages of development, including compliance with erosion, sedimentation, and stormwater regulations. On this front, Mr. McCaulley regularly consults with developers concerning the NPDES permitting process and advises regarding impending changes to Pennsylvania and federal law.

Jonathan Nase is a member in the Harrisburg Office of Cozen O’Connor P.C., where his practice focuses on public utility law and administrative law. He has experience representing utilities, municipalities and municipal authorities in rate cases, mergers and acquisitions, energy efficiency and conservation proceedings, formal complaints and other matters. Before joining Cozen O’Connor, Mr. Nase worked for the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, including eight years as the Deputy Director – Legal of the Office of Special Assistants.

Devin T. Ryan is an associate in Post & Schell P.C.’s Energy and Utilities Practice Group. He represents electric, natural gas, water, and transportation network companies in a variety of proceedings before the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, including base rate proceedings, rulemaking proceedings, customer complaint proceedings, energy efficiency and conservation plan proceedings, application proceedings initiated under Section 1102 of the Public Utility Code, and purchased gas cost cases. Mr. Ryan has also practiced before the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission concerning energy and public utility-related matters.

Kenneth R. Stark is an associate in McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC’s Energy and Environmental Law practice group. His practice focuses on representation of consumer-oriented interests in state and federal regulatory proceedings, and appellate court proceedings, involving electricity, natural gas, and oil pipeline issues. He regularly represents and advises clients on various transmission issues under the jurisdiction of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Mr. Stark also represents and advises clients regarding alternative/renewable energy and transportation issues under the jurisdiction of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. Prior to joining McNees, he served as an assistant counsel in the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission’s Law Bureau.

President of Collaborative Access Studio
Employed in the architecture and construction industry since 1988, Mr. Dea is a licensed architect in the states of California and Utah and is an ICC-certified accessibility inspector/plans examiner. Since 2001, his practice has focused on compliance with federal and state accessibility standards, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) transition plan services, and accessible design covering buildings, sites, and pedestrian facilities in public rights-of-way. This has encompassed accessibility evaluations, plan reviews, and code analyses for numerous corporate, education, and governmental clients.

Summary of Experience

• Consultant access compliance plan reviewer to California’s Division of the State Architect (DSA) – Los Angeles Basin Region Office (2004-2011)
•  One of California’s first certified access specialists (CASp #023), based on experience and testing criteria administered by the DSA (2008)
• Alternate delegate (2014-2021) and primary delegate (2021-current) to the ICC/ANSI Committee on Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities, contributing to creation of the 2017 edition of the ICC A117.1 Accessibility
  Standard. The A117.1 Standard is adopted by building code jurisdictions throughout the United States.
• Provider of over 50 accessibility training presentations to licensed architects and engineers, attorneys, public agencies, and professional organizations, including a 5-hour course addressing the continuing education
  requirement for California architects.
•  Provider of technical assistance to attorneys and other clients to assist in the resolution of lawsuits, complaints, and claims related to state and federal access laws.

Attorney and Founder at W.H. Graddy & Associates
Mr. Graddy is a 1969 graduate of Washington & Lee University (Bachelor of Arts) and a 1975 graduate of the University of Kentucky School of Law (Juris Doctor). He practices law in Versailles, Kentucky. His primary areas of practice include land use planning and zoning proceedings, and environmental, civil, administrative and appellate litigation. Mr. Graddy is currently chair of the Water Committee for the Kentucky Chapter of the Sierra Club. He has served as chair of the Sierra Club Mississippi River Issue Team, which is focused on reducing nutrient pollution loading in the Mississippi River Ecosystem, in order to reduce the hypoxia [or “dead zone”] in the Gulf of Mexico. Mr. Graddy is the past chairman and current board member of the statewide Watershed Watch in Kentucky, Inc., a citizens water monitoring organization. He served as project director for the Kentucky River Watershed Watch, Inc., from formation in 1997 until 2009, and is currently a board member. Mr. Graddy is admitted to practice in Kentucky, the Eastern and Western Federal District Courts in Kentucky, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.

Attorney and Partner at Hurt, Deckard & May
Mr. Reedy has acquired a broad range of legal experience through practicing law in Lexington and central Kentucky over the past nine years. His practice focuses on business litigation, business planning, creditors’ rights, foreclosure law, landlord/ tenant law, insurance defense and personal injury, including car wrecks, workers’ comp, wrongful death and premises liability. Mr. Reedy received his B.B.A. degree summa cum laude, in both Finance and Management from the University of Kentucky, Gatton School of Business and Management. He received his J.D. degree from the University of Kentucky, College of Law in 2004 where he served on the Kentucky Law Journal. Mr. Reedy worked as an associate in the firm until becoming a partner in 2009.

Attorney at Stites & Harbison
Mr. Stewart is an intellectual property attorney at Stites & Harbison in the firm’s Louisville office. He is a registered patent attorney and largely focuses his practice in patent preparation and prosecution. With a technical background touching in biotechnology, physics, and computer science, Mr. Stewart regularly assists clients ranging from individual inventors to large- scale corporations obtain patent protection for their innovations in the mechanical, medical, and software fields in the U.S. and abroad.

Attorney with Kinkead & Stilz, PLLCMr. Trevey graduated, cum laude, from the University ofKentucky College of Business with a BBA degree in Finance andManagement in 2000, and he then received his J.D. degree from the University of Kentucky in 2004, the same year that he was admitted to practice in Kentucky. He is also admitted to practicein the Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky, the Sixth CircuitCourt of Appeal and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. While attending the University of Kentucky, Mr. Trevey was a member of the Journal of Natural Resources and Environmental Law, and the Trial Advocacy Board, where he was named best advocateduring the 2003 Kentucky Mock Trial Tournament. He is amember of the Fayette County Bar Association, the Kentucky Bar Association, the Defense Research Institute, and the Kentucky Defense Counsel. Since graduation, Mr. Trevey has focused his practice almost entirely on the defense of professionals.He has defended physicians, nurses, dentists, architects, engineers, lawyers, accountants, land surveyors and real estate professionals. He also has experience in large-scale cases such as class actions, increasingly popular multi-district litigation (MDL) cases such as Vioxx, Celebrex and Phen-Fen, as well as large-scale disaster consolidation cases such as the Comair Flight 5191litigation.

CEO and Founder at RiskDesk
Mr. Wols is the CEO and founder of RiskDesk, an insurance broker and technology company based out of Lexington, Kentucky. He has more than 15 years of experience helping professionals such as architects and engineers to manage their risk by delivering market-leading professional and cyber liability insurance solutions. Before he established RiskDesk in 2017, Mr. Wols managed the professional liability portfolio at XL Catlin and was based in London, New York and Lexington. He graduated from Washington & Lee University with a B.S. degree in 2004 and obtained his MBA degree from New York University in 2013. Reach out to Mr. Wols directly at myriskdesk.com

Attorney with Stites & Harbison’s Environmental, Natural Resources & Energy Service Group
Ms. Cave works closely with businesses to ensure compliance with state and federal environmental laws and regulations. Her experience includes assisting and advising clients on the Clean Air Act and state air pollution laws as well as applying for, negotiating the terms of, and complying with air permits, including Title V and Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permits, NPDES wastewater permits, and solid waste landfill permits. She has significant experience defending clients in administrative and civil enforcement actions and citizen suit litigation. Ms. Cave also counsels domestic and international manufacturers on the importation and sale of mobile sources, including non-road engines, vehicles and equipment under the Clean Air Act. Ms. Cave is admitted to practice in Kentucky and Washington.

Attorney with Stites & Harbison
Mr. Early’s work with industry includes advice on compliance, permitting, transactions, response to enforcement actions, participation in regulatory development, and related administrative and civil litigation. He has extensive experience with matters involving the Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, CERCLA, RCRA, mining and reclamation, sustainability, and agriculture. He is former chair of the American Bar Association’s Water Quality and Wetlands Committee of the Section of Environment, Energy & Resources, and he is a past chair of the Kentucky Bar Association’s Environmental Section. Before law, Mr. Early was a professor of Biology and chair of the Biology Department at Cumberland College in Williamsburg, Kentucky. He earned a Ph.D. degree in Biology from the University of Louisville, and a J.D. degree from the University of Kentucky.

Chair of Stites & Harbison’s Environmental, Natural Resources & Energy Service Group
Mr. Gorton is national counsel to numerous clients on natural resource, environmental regulatory and land and water resources matters. He has been counsel in the development of more than 10 power plants. He has been lead counsel to numerous surety companies regarding over $4 billion in financial guarantees on bankrupt and/or defaulting mining operations, hazardous waste facilities and solid waste disposal facilities throughout the United States. Mr. Gorton has been primary environmental counsel in the development of interstate pipeline associated with major natural gas resource development. He also counsels on large natural resource, energy, waste industry, business and corporate transactions. He also works on project development, assessing and addressing environmental regulatory issues and working to accomplish clients’ goals. Mr. Gorton is admitted to practice in Kentucky and Pennsylvania.

Attorney with Stites & Harbison
Mr. Moore is an attorney in the Stites & Harbison’s Frankfort office where he focuses his practice in the areas of civil litigation and appeals, business, utility, environmental, OSHA, administrative law, municipal law and estate planning. Mr. Moore has represented numerous local and national clients in complex administrative matters, including environmental and OSHA matters. He has served as the City Attorney for Frankfort, Kentucky’s Capital City, since 2004. In serving in this capacity, Mr. Moore has represented the City with respect to litigation, employment issues, tax issues, environmental issues, and many other matters. He has also represented many clients in complex civil litigation, including representing national interstate pipeline companies in federal and state courts in toxic tort litigation, cases resulting from pipeline ruptures and in condemnation cases. Mr. Moore has also represented clients in litigation with the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office. He is admitted to practice in Kentucky and California.

Mr. Southall, RLA, LEED AP BD+C, ASLA, AICP, is a principal with Earthcycle Design, LLC, a landscape architecture, urban planning and community resilience design firm, based in Lexington, KY.  He is a Professional Landscape Architect in Kentucky and Ohio, a LEED Accredited Professional BD+C with the US Green Building Council (USGBC), and a Certified Planner with the American Planning Association.  Mr. Southall has over 25 years of professional experience in planning, design and project management. He has applied his sustainability design experience on a multitude of projects ranging in magnitude and complexity including: urban and site design for institute and community facilities with an emphasis on education and public outreach pertaining to Green Infrastructure (GI), Low Impact Development (LID) and Sustainable Sites.  Mr. Southall has presented on an assortment of sustainable practices and topics at statewide, regional and national conferences. In 2008, he shared the State of Kentucky Governor’s Award for Environmental Leadership. In 2009, he received an Environmental Commission Award from Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government for his environmental outreach and sustainable design efforts in Lexington. Mr. Southall graduated from the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture. Currently, he serves as one of twelve Sustainable Champion for American Planning Association (APA), serves on the steering committee of Empower Lexington (a climate action plan to reduce CO2), and as Treasurer for LFUCG’s Environmental Commission. In March 2017, Mr. Southall completed a three-day Climate Reality Leadership Corps training to become a Climate Reality Leader and served as Mentor in October, 2017. He is a past Chapter President and Trustee of Kentucky ASLA, past Board of Director member for Southeast Stormwater Association (SeSWA), and Market Leadership Advisory Board (MLAB) for USGBC Kentucky. Mr. Southall is a member of American Society of Landscape Architects and American Planning Association.   

Mr. Dilley earned a B.S. in Natural Resources (Fisheries Management) in 1991 and a M.S. in Environmental Science (specializing in wetlands) in 2003, both from The Ohio State University. He and his wife Christine are co-owners of a WBE, WOSB, and EDGE-certified environmental consulting firm, MAD Scientist Associates, specializing in ecological and wetland consulting. Mr. Dilley has over 22 years’ experience as a field biologist, ecologist, and wetland scientist. He is an EPA-certified Level 3 Qualified Data Collector (QDC) for fish and habitat studies in Ohio, a Certified Senior Ecologist with the Ecological Society of America, and a Professional Wetland Scientist with the Society of Wetland Scientist. Mr. Dilley has conducted ecological surveys in over 11 states, at a variety of sites, including Department of Energy, NASA, and U.S. military facilities, landfills, and industrial sites.

Chair of Stites & Harbison’s Environmental, Natural Resources & Energy Service Group
Mr. Gorton is national counsel to numerous clients on natural resource, environmental regulatory and land and water resources matters. He has been counsel in the development of more than 10 power plants. He has been lead counsel to numerous surety companies regarding over $4 billion in financial guarantees on bankrupt and/or defaulting mining operations, hazardous waste facilities and solid waste disposal facilities throughout the United States. Mr. Gorton has been primary environmental counsel in the development of interstate pipeline associated with major natural gas resource development. He also counsels on large natural resource, energy, waste industry, business and corporate transactions. He also works on project development, assessing and addressing environmental regulatory issues and working to accomplish clients’ goals. Mr. Gorton is admitted to practice in Kentucky and Pennsylvania.

Mr. Strain has over 30 years of experience with all aspects of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance including preparation of environmental assessments (EA), environmental impact statements (EIS), categorical exclusions (CE) and other NEPA documentation, baseline biological assessments, and habitat evaluation procedure (HEP) analyses; threatened and endangered species surveys and critical habitat assessments; wetland and stream evaluations; cultural resource investigations; and vegetative community surveys. Mr. Strain’s particular expertise is in wetland science; including delineation, creation, and restoration of wetlands for mitigation and wildlife habitat; Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 404 and 401 permitting; and design of constructed wetland treatment systems.

Partner at English Lucas Priest & Owsley, LLP
Ms. Wilcher has over 30 years of experience assisting clients on complex environmental permitting and enforcement issues. She served in several positions at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, DC, including Assistant Administrator (AA) for Water (1989-1993). She is the only woman in EPA’s history to have been nominated by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate for that position. She was the senior manager for EPA’s water programs nationwide, and was intimately involved with and was the EPA signatory on several seminal Clean Water Act Section 404 decisions. Ms. Wilcher also was EPA’s representative on the White House Domestic Policy Council’s Inter-Agency Task Force on Wetlands (established in 1989 under the DPC Working Group on Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources). Ms. Wilcher has testified before Congress on multiple occasions concerning Section 404 interpretation and implementation, and she has spoken frequently about wetlands issues, both nationally and internationally. She has represented clients throughout the country concerning Section 404 permitting, interpretation and enforcement matters, while a partner at English, Lucas, Priest & Owsley, L.L.P. (2002-2003) and (2006-present), and the Washington, DC offices of Winston & Strawn (1993-1996) and LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae, L.L.P. (1996-2002). From 2003-2006 Ms. Wilcher served as Secretary of Kentucky’s Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet, and she initiated a statewide dialogue to discuss seeking state authority to issue permits under Section 404. She has taught environmental law and policy courses at Vanderbilt University Law School and Vermont Law School, and has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America since 2009.