Staff Profiles

PEAC is one of the largest environmental law clinics in America, with expertise across a wide range of significant legal issues confronting today's environmental advocates.

Our 1:3 teacher-student ratio delivers an intensive apprenticeship experience. Our attorneys, as clinical professors, are members of the Lewis & Clark Law School faculty. PEAC professors teach substantive law classes which provide hands-on opportunities for students to practice environmental advocacy.

Karen Smith Geon

ksmithgeon@lclark.edu

Executive Director

Karen brings over 15 years of nonprofit management and fundraising experience to her role at PEAC, where she is responsible for overseeing the clinic’s general operations, finances and fundraising functions. A native Oregonian, Karen earned her B.A. from the University of Oregon and M.P.A. from New York University. She also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Niger, West Africa. In her free time, Karen’s favorite activities include cross-country skiing and hiking throughout the West with her husband and two young sons.

Dan Rohlf

rohlf@lclark.edu

Clinical Director

As one of PEAC's founding members, Dan supervises the organization's clinical operations, while litigating cases and training law students in the art of practical legal advocacy. Dan is also a tenured law professor and teaches environmental courses at Lewis & Clark Law School. A graduate of Colorado College and Stanford Law School, Dan is admitted to practice in Oregon, the federal district of Oregon, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. In his spare time, Dan loves to run, cycle, and spend time with his wife and kids.

Tom Buchele

tbuchele@lclark.edu

Managing Attorney

Tom anchors PEAC's legal practice as the senior coordinator of environmental initiatives. Prior to joining PEAC, Tom was the director of the environmental law clinic at University of Pittsburgh for seven years, staff attorney at the Environmental Law & Policy Center of the Midwest, and a partner in the Chicago office of the prestigious national law firm Jenner & Block, where he focused on complex commercial and natural resources litigation. A distinguished graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University and the University of Illinois College of Law, Tom leads PEAC's land management and natural resource practice, including mining, oil and gas issues. In his spare time, Tom is an excellent gardener and baker, and enjoys canning, hiking and exploring tidepools up and down the Oregon coast.

Allison LaPlante

laplante@lclark.edu

Staff Attorney

As one of the organization's most experienced staff attorneys, Allison leads PEAC’s climate change campaign and related air and water quality improvement efforts. A graduate of Cornell University (B.S. 1996) and Lewis & Clark Law School (J.D. 2002), and a former law clerk for U.S. District Court Judge Garr M. King, Allison is admitted to practice in Oregon and the federal district of Oregon, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. In previous years, Allison expertly led the law school’s Environmental and Animal Law Moot Court teams to national championships. In her spare time, Allison enjoys cycling, hiking, and spending time with her husband and young son.

Aubrey Baldwin

abaldwin@lclark.edu

Staff Attorney

Aubrey leads PEAC's air initiatives. Prior to joining PEAC, Aubrey was an associate at the law office of Robert Ukeiley, a private public interest law firm with nationally recognized expertise in air quality law. A distinguished graduate of the University of Tennessee (B.S. 1997) and Lewis and Clark Law School (and Williamson award winner for public interest environmental work, J.D. 2005), Aubrey’s practice focuses on pollution control under state and federal clean air laws, and she is admitted to practice in Oregon, the federal district of Oregon, and both the 9th and 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. Aubrey also sits on the board of directors at Crag Law Center. When not clearing vistas (and lungs) across the Pacific Northwest, Aubrey enjoys playing with her cats, knitting, reading literature, and biking - downhill.

Dan Mensher

dmensher@lclark.edu

Staff Attorney

Dan spearheads PEAC’s water quality and pollution control work. A graduate of Lewis and Clark Law School (J.D. 2007), the University of Wisconsin-Madison (M.S. 2002), and Wesleyan University (B.A. 1998), Dan is a former law clerk for Hon. Rick Haselton of the Oregon Court of Appeals. When not cleaning up and cooling down waters across the state of Oregon and beyond, Dan drinks copious amounts of coffee to create free time, which he fills with racing his bicycle, cooking, and running.