College of Law

STEGNER CENTER
FACULTY & STAFF

The Wallace Stegner Center’s faculty is actively engaged in a wide range of environmental and natural resources issues. Faculty research addresses such diverse topics as public land management, wildlife protection, international environmental law, law and science, water pollution, toxic and hazardous wastes, ecosystem management, land use, and others. The faculty regularly publishes its research in books and articles in law journals and other sources, participates in conferences and other forums, and engages in consulting, pro bono representation, service on public boards and commissions, and other public service activities.

Center Director


Robert B. Keiter

Director

Robert B. Keiter

Director
Wallace Stegner Professor of Law University
Distinguished Professor
Professor Keiter is the founding director of the Wallace Stegner Center, Wallace Stegner Professor of Law, and University Distinguished Professor. He has written extensively on public lands, national parks, biodiversity conservation, and ecosystem management. His books include: To Conserve Unimpaired: The Evolution of the National Park Idea and Keeping Faith with Nature: Ecosystems, Democracy, and America’s Public Lands. He is a trustee of the National Parks Conservation Association and the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation. He serves on the Greater Yellowstone Coalition’s board of directors and is associate director for the University of Utah’s Institute for Clean and Secure Energy.
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Faculty


Anthony T. Anghie

Professor of Law

Anthony T. Anghie

Professor of Law
BA and LLB, Monash University: Melbourne, Australia; SJD, Harvard Law School
Professor Anghie practiced law in Australia, before joining the College in 1995. He has served on the Executive Councils of the American Society of International Law and the Asian Society of International Law. He is a member of the advisory boards of several journals including the Chinese Journal of International Law and International Theory. He writes on various aspects of international law including the history of international law, theories of sovereignty, international economic law, globalization and human rights.
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Lingxi Chenyang

Associate Professor of Law

Lingxi Chenyang

Associate Professor of Law

Brigham Daniels

Professor of Law

Brigham Daniels

Professor of Law

Leslie Francis

Alfred Emory Professor of Law

Leslie Francis

Alfred Emory Professor of Law
Alfred C. Emery Professor of Law, Professor of Philosophy; University Distinguished Professor; BA with High Honors; Phi Beta Kappa, Wellesley College; PhD Philosophy, University of Michigan; JD, S.J. Quinney College of Law
Associate Dean Francis writes extensively in the areas of bioethics, health law, and disability. She serves as co-chair of the Privacy, Confidentiality, and Security Subcommittee of the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics, the federal advisory committee on health data to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. She is a member of the ethics committee of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine. She also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Utah Humanities Council and as an elected vice president of the International Association for the Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy.
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Erika R. George

Professor of Law

Erika R. George

Professor of Law

Jamie Pleune

Associate Professor of Law (Research)

Jamie Pleune

Associate Professor of Law (Research)

Nancy A. McLaughlin

Robert W. Swenson Professor of Law

Nancy A. McLaughlin

Robert W. Swenson Professor of Law

BS with Honors, Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi Mathematics Scholar; University of Massachusetts at Amherst; JD, University of Virginia School of Law
Professor McLaughlin’s scholarship focuses on conservation easements and nonprofit governance issues, and she also lectures extensively on these issues. Her numerous articles on these subjects have appeared in a variety of legal journals. She also serves on the Land Trust Alliance’s Conservation Defense Advisory Council, the advisory boards for Utah Open Lands and Vital Ground, and as a member of the Habitat Protection Advisory Committee of the Wildlife Land Trust. She has also edited the American Bar Association’s Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Journal since 2000.
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Ruhan Nagra

Associate Professor of Law

Ruhan Nagra

Associate Professor of Law
J.D., Law, Stanford Law School B.A., Human Biology, Brown University Ruhan S. Nagra is Associate Professor of Law and founding director of the Environmental Justice Clinic at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law. Prior to joining the Law School, Nagra was Director of the Environmental Justice Initiative and a Senior Clinical Supervisor at the University Network for Human Rights, which she co-founded in 2018. At the University Network, Nagra worked with frontline communities in the United States and globally to challenge environmental injustice. Nagra was previously a clinical instructor at Stanford Law School’s Human Rights Clinic. In close partnership with affected communities and grassroots organizations, Nagra brings an interdisciplinary approach to her work, which has recently included: a peer-reviewed community health study in Louisiana’s Cancer Alley; an analysis exposing racially discriminatory effects of an industrial buyout in Mossville, Louisiana; and litigation challenging the expansion of Liquefied Natural Gas infrastructure in Brooklyn, New York. Her recently published article explores the role of investor-owned utilities and regulatory agencies in perpetuating environmental injustice. Nagra’s work has been covered in major news outlets, including VICE, CBS Evening News, The Washington Post, Reuters, The Guardian, USA Today, Axios, Newsweek, and Democracy Now. She holds a J.D. from Stanford Law School and a B.A. in Human Biology from Brown University.

Danya Rumore

Research Associate Professor of Law

Danya Rumore

Research Associate Professor of Law
Director, Environmental Dispute Resolution Program Research Assistant Professor of Planning
BS, Oregon State University; MSc, University of Auckland, New Zealand; PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Professor Rumore’s work and research focus on supporting collaborative decision-making and stakeholder engagement in the context of science-intensive environmental, natural resources, and public policy issues. She is the Director of the Environmental Dispute Resolution Program in the Wallace Stegner Center, and a faculty member in both the S.J. Quinney College of Law and the City and Metropolitan Planning Department. Prior to joining the University of Utah, she was the Assistant Director of the MIT Science Impact Collaborative and an Associate at the Consensus Building Institute. She teaches courses on negotiation, dispute resolution, collaborative problem solving, facilitation, and leadership.
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John Ruple

Research Professor of Law

John Ruple

Research Professor of Law

Wallace Stegner Center Fellow
MS, Michigan State University, JD University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law; BA, Grinnell College; MA, Indiana University
John Ruple conducts research on public land and water resource management, including efforts to improve management efficiency and collaborative resource management between the federal and state governments. Prior to joining the Stegner Center, John worked as a Fellow with the University of Utah’s Institute for Clean and Secure Energy, where he addressed land and water issues involving energy development in Utah’s Uinta Basin. John also worked as policy analyst in Governor Jon Huntsman’s Public Lands Office, as an environmental attorney, and a NEPA contractor specializing in permitting for projects involving ski areas operating on National Forest System lands. He has published in the Utah Environmental Law Review, Idaho Law Review, and Journal of Energy & Natural Resources Law, and contributed to various books, technical reports, and NEPA documents.
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Elizabeth Kronk Warner

Dean and Professor of Law

Elizabeth Kronk Warner

Dean and Professor of Law

BS, Communication, Cornell University; JD, Law, University of Michigan Law School
Elizabeth Kronk Warner is a nationally recognized expert in the intersection of environmental and Indian law. She has taught courses in property, Indian, environmental and natural resources law and supervised the school’s Tribal Judicial Support Clinic. Kronk Warner has received several teaching excellence awards, co-authored several books on environmental issues and Native Americans, and has 40 articles and book chapters to her credit. Kronk Warner, a citizen of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, served as an appellate judge for the tribe and as a district judge for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribe. Elizabeth previously was an active member of the Federal Bar Association, serving on its national board of directors. She is currently active in the American Bar Association, where she is co-chair of the Native American Resources Committee.
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Affiliate Faculty and Emeritus Faculty


Bob Adler

Emeritus Professor of Law

Bob Adler

Emeritus Professor of Law
JD Cum Laude, Georgetown University Law Center
Professor Adler has published numerous works in law, science and policy journals on environmental law, water law, agricultural law, and constitutional law issues. He is a recipient of the Hammer Award from Vice President Al Gore for his work on national clean water issues, the Pfeifferhorn Conservation Leadership Award for volunteer environmental service in Utah, and an award from the Utah Chapter of the American Water Resources Association for his educational contribution to water issues.
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Jorge Contreras

Professor of Law

Jorge Contreras

Professor of Law

William J. Lockhart

Emeritus Professor of Law

Jeff Schwartz

Professor of Law

Jeff Schwartz

Professor of Law

Adjunct Faculty


Jared Bennett

Adjunct Professor of Law, United States Magistrate Judge

Jared Bennett

Adjunct Professor of Law, United States Magistrate Judge

Douglas Crapo

Adjunct Professor of Law, Utah Attorney General's Office

David Everitt

Adjunct Professor of Law, Deputy City Manager, Park City Municipal Corporation

David Hatch

Adjunct Professor of Law

Megan Houdeshel

Adjunct Professor of Law, Partner, Dorsey & Whitney

Daniel A. Jensen

Adjunct Professor of Law, Partner, Parr Brown Gee & Loveless

Daniel A. Jensen

Adjunct Professor of Law, Partner, Parr Brown Gee & Loveless
Dan Jensen is a shareholder with the Salt Lake City law firm of Parr Brown Gee & Loveless, where his practice focuses on mining, public lands, water, oil and gas, and other natural resource areas. Educated as a mining engineer (B.S. University of Utah 1982), Dan previously worked for Shell Oil Company in Texas and Illinois. Dan received his law degree in 1988 from the University of Utah, where he was an editor for the Utah Law Review and a member of the Order of the Coif. His entire career since then has been with the Parr Brown firm. Dan has been recognized in or by Best Lawyers in America (including Utah Mining Lawyer of the Year for 2014, Utah Water Lawyer of the Year for 2015, and Utah Energy Lawyer of the Year 2017), Chambers USA, Mountain States Super Lawyers, Utah Business Magazine (Top 100 Utah Lawyers), and Martindale-Hubbell (AV rating). Dan is an adjunct professor of Mining Law at both of Utah’s law schools, and has previously taught Public Land Law as well. Although Dan is a frequent speaker, author and instructor on subjects concerning mining, water and public lands, he’d much rather be enjoying any kind of outdoor recreation.
 djensen@parrbrown.com

Steve Jones

Adjunct Professor of Law, Partner, Holland & Hart

Emily Lewis

Adjunct Associate Professor of Law, Partner, Clyde Snow

Emily Lewis

Adjunct Associate Professor of Law, Partner, Clyde Snow
Emily Lewis focuses her practice on natural resources issues, primarily water law. She has worked with both individual rural water users and organized water entities to settle or litigate complex water disputes. Prior to joining Clyde Snow, Ms. Lewis represented the Utah State Engineer in comprehensive Water Rights General Adjudications across the state.

Ben Machlis

Adjunct Associate Professor of Law, Partner, Dorsey & Whitney

D. Matthew Moscon

Adjunct Professor of Law, Partner, Stoel Rives

D. Matthew Moscon

Adjunct Professor of Law, Partner, Stoel Rives

Beth Parker

Senior Attorney, Law and Policy Program

Margaret Plane

Adjunct Professor of Law, Special Counsel, Park City Municipal Corporation

Gordon Rowe

Adjunct Professor of Law

Sydney Sell

Adjunct Professor of Law

Sydney Sell

Adjunct Professor of Law
Sydney Sell practices in Holland & Hart’s Environmental, Energy, and Natural Resources group and focuses her practice on permitting, compliance, and litigation matters. Prior to joining Holland & Hart, Ms. Sell worked at a boutique litigation firm and clerked on the Utah Court of Appeals.
Bachelor of Arts, Environmental Studies, University of Colorado
Juris Doctor, S.J. Quinney College of Law, University of Utah

Visiting Faculty


Tim Duane

Visiting Professor

Staff


Jan Nystrom

Associate Director

Emily Gaines Crockett

EDR Program Manager

Jordan Katcher

Initiatives Facilitator

Tom Mitchell

Senior Attorney, Law and Policy Program

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