Environmental Appeals Board

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General Information About the EAB: The EAB at Twenty-Five

Environmental Appeals Judges, Board Counsel and Staff Judge Aaron P. Avila Judge Avila has substantial litigation and management experience in matters arising under federal pollution control and natural resource statutes. Prior to joining the Board, Judge Avila served first as a staff attorney and then as an Assistant Section Chief in the Appellate Section, Environment and Natural Resources Division, U.S. Department of Justice. During his tenure in the Appellate Section, Judge Avila litigated and supervised civil and criminal appellate matters involving major federal environmental and pollution control statutes before the courts of appeals and the Supreme Court on behalf of the United States and its agencies (primarily EPA, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Defense). Judge Avila presented oral argument in more than 30 appeals. Prior to joining the Justice Department, Judge Avila was an associate at Morrison & Foerster LLP in San Francisco, California and before that he served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Robert D. Sack of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Judge Avila’s work has garnered him numerous awards and recognitions, including the Assistant Attorney General’s Award for Excellence and EPA's Silver Medal for Superior Service Award. Judge Avila earned his Juris Doctor degree, magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, from New York University School of Law, and his Bachelor of Arts and Science degree (Political Science and Civil Engineering) from Stanford University. Judge Wendy L. Blake Judge Blake has extensive litigation experience both at EPA and the U.S. Department of Justice in administrative law matters and matters arising under the federal pollution control statutes. She also has substantial management experience, including serving as the Associate General Counsel for the General Law Office and the Assistant General Counsel for the Air and Radiation Law Office in EPA’s Office of General Counsel. In these capacities, she managed large teams of attorneys and professional staff and led the Agency’s participation in matters before the Supreme Court, federal appellate courts, and district courts. She also has substantial rulemaking and alternative dispute resolution experience. Most recently, as the Associate General Counsel for the General Law Office, she supervised the Agency’s Conflict Prevention and Resolution Center which provides alternative dispute resolution and conflict resolution services to the Agency. Prior to joining the Department of Justice, she served as a judicial law clerk for former Judge Christine Miller of the United States Court of Federal Claims. Judge Blake’s work has garnered her numerous awards and recognitions, including Gold and Bronze medals and the Agency’s First-Line Supervisor Award. Judge Blake earned her Juris Doctor degree, with distinction, from George Mason University School of Law, where she focused extensively on moot court and won several awards. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia in Economics. Judge Mary Kay Lynch Judge Lynch has extensive litigation and management experience in both the private and public sector. She has served in a number of senior legal and management positions within the EPA, including as the Associate General Counsel for Solid Waste and Emergency Response leading the Agency’s participation in Supreme Court, federal Appellate Court and federal rule making practice in these subject areas. Prior to that she served as Regional Counsel for EPA Region 4 in Atlanta, Georgia. There she led a large interdisciplinary staff including attorneys and engineers to provide legal counsel for civil and criminal enforcement cases, defensive litigation, counseling issues, and general law matters. Earlier in her EPA career she served in EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, first in the Federal Facilities Office as Director of the Site Remediation and Enforcement Staff and later as Director of OECA's Policy Office. Judge Lynch has served as the Vice Chair of the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Trustee Council where she has advised on complex and unprecedented issues. Prior to joining EPA, she was engaged in private law practice. Judge Lynch's work has been recognized with numerous awards including the Meritorious Presidential Rank Award, the EPA Excellence in Management Award and EPA Gold and Silver Medals. She earned a Juris Doctor degree, from the University of Georgia School of Law, where she served as the Executive Editor of the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law. She earned a Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from Boston College and was part of the Scholars of the College program. Judge Ammie Roseman-Orr Judge Roseman-Orr has extensive environmental and administrative law experience and has represented the United States in matters involving a wide variety of environmental and legal issues arising under all the major environmental statutes. Most recently, Judge Roseman-Orr served as an acting Division Director within the Office of Policy’s Office of Regulatory and Policy Management. There, she led the Policy and Regulatory Analysis Division throughout the development of the Agency’s priority regulations. Prior to that, Judge Roseman-Orr served as Senior Counsel to the Environmental Appeals Board for more than a decade, providing legal advice and recommending decisions in administrative enforcement and permit matters. She contributed significantly to the creation of the Board’s alternative dispute resolution program. As a trial attorney in the Environmental Defense Section of the Environment and Natural Resource Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ), Judge Roseman-Orr represented federal agencies in both federal district and appellate courts. Before entering the DOJ through the Attorney General’s Honors Program, Judge Roseman-Orr served as lead judicial law clerk to Chief Justice Ronald T.Y. Moon of the Supreme Court of the State of Hawai‘i. Judge Roseman-Orr’s work has been recognized with numerous awards including EPA’s Kathleen Herrin Award for Innovation, EPA’s Lean Management Award for Leadership, Initiative, and Creativity, and DOJ’s Exceptional Service Award. She earned her Juris Doctor degree, magna cum laude, and an Environmental Law Certificate from the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawai‘i. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from the University of Arkansas. Counsel to the Board: Experienced attorneys serve as counsel to the Board: Nivea Berrios, Patrick Chang, Kristen DeWire, Catherine Malinin Dunn, Carly Hopkins, and Grant Macintyre. Counsel assist the Board in reviewing the administrative record, analyzing applicable law and Agency policy, and preparing formal written opinions. They are available to answer questions from litigants and the general public about the appeals process. Administrative Staff:  Clerk of the Board, Emilio Cortes; Administrative Specialist, Annette Duncan.