Robert & Patricia Switzer Foundation

Fellowship Year: 2009

Academic Background: UCLA - JD/MPP 2011- (Law, Public Policy)

Current Position: Assistant Regional Counsel , U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

A 2009 Switzer Fellow, Alexa graduated from a joint law and public policy degree program at UCLA's Law School and School of Public Affairs in 2011. She focused her studies on environmental law and policy, especially as it is applied to climate change and the intersection of environmental issues and social justice. At UCLA, Alexa the served as a board member of the Journal of Environmental Law and Policy, volunteered at a legal clinic on Skid Row and graduated from the Epstein Public Interest Law Program. A longtime environmental advocate, Alexa worked for several years before graduate school for the Center for Environmental Health in Oakland, CA where she coordinated public interest litigation to reduce lead in children's products and conducted national media communication. She has also worked for the Natural Resources Defense Council in both Montana and Santa Monica on grizzly bear conservation and air litigation, for the CA Attorney General's Environment and Natural Resources Sections and in the White House Council on Environmental Quality. At Brown University as an undergrad, she focused on environmental policy and public perception of environmental harm. Alexa has found connecting her love for the outdoors with her legal advocacy has been a natural fit. She can be found playing ultimate frisbee, poking around farmer's markets and hiking in local mountains in her free time. She currently practices environmental law as an Honors Fellow at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9 in San Francisco, CA.

Expertise: Environmental Policy & Law, Energy & Climate Change, Environmental Justice