Staff

Lewis Gordon, Director

Lewis Gordon is a Harvard graduate with nearly thirty years of experience as a lawyer. Following a federal court clerkship, Mr. Gordon entered private practice in Alaska in 1982. He successfully defended environmentalists and environmental organizations from intimidation lawsuits, and represented them in environmental litigation as well. From 1989-94, while the managing partner of the Anchorage firm of Ashburn & Mason, Mr. Gordon served on the nine member plaintiffs’ steering committee that managed the massive litigation arising from the grounding of the Exxon Valdez.

In 2003, Mr. Gordon was invited to be a Wallace Stegner Center Fellow for a year at the University of Utah’s S. J. Quinney College of Law, as well as an adjunct professor of law (Environment and Human Rights). He founded EDLC that same year.

Monti Aguirre, Outreach Director

Monti Aguirre is a veteran environmental human rights campaigner who has worked for the past two decades in Latin American countries in support of indigenous peoples’ rights. She performs outreach to NGOs and others in the Global South to identify and develop new case and project opportunities for EDLC and the law firms, and to provide ongoing liaison and resource services to the lawyers and the clients.

Ms. Aguirre was born and raised in Colombia. She holds a bachelor's degree in anthropology and a master's degree in environmental education and conservation from New York University. Ms. Aguirre is completely fluent in English and Spanish, and proficient in Portuguese. She has worked for many years at International Rivers in support of local movements for the protection of rivers.

Lisa Ito, Philippine Outreach Director

Lisa Ito’s work for EDLC aims at combating the huge increase in intimidation lawsuits filed against environmental defenders in the Philippines, and identifying opportunities for pro bono collaboration on cases involving the environment and human rights.

Ms. Ito is the Coordinator for the Environmental Linkages Program of the Center for Environmental Concerns in the Philippines, a non-government organization promoting environmental education, research, and advocacy. She is the former Public Information Officer for the Kalikasan People's Network for the Environment, a Philippine network of environmental non-governmental organizations and environmental advocates. Ms. Ito holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of the Philippines.

I see in EDLC’s efforts a potent mix of ideas, talent, and a relentless pursuit of excellence and achievement that I believe is the hallmark of a successful organization.

- Durwood Zaelke, Founder and Past President, Center for International Environmental Law