Our Team

Rebecca Lowy joined the Sabin Center as a Climate Law Fellow in October 2025. Her work focuses on the intersection of law, science, and policy in addressing climate change, including legal frameworks for carbon sequestration, the use of climate attribution science in litigation and policymaking, and domestic and international regulatory approaches to climate governance.

Rebecca earned her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School in 2023, where she also received a M.S. in Environmental Policy from the School for Environment and Sustainability. She holds an A.B. in Geosciences and Environmental Studies from Princeton University, where she graduated cum laude and was awarded the Senior Prize for Environmental Leadership.

Before joining the Sabin Center, Rebecca clerked for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York and practiced as an associate attorney at the Environmental Law and Policy Center. During law school, she served as a senior editor of the Michigan Law Review and was a student attorney in the Civil Rights Litigation Initiative. She also interned with both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of General Counsel and Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, as well as with the Natural Resources Defense Council. Prior to law school, Rebecca worked as a paralegal on PFAS litigation and, before that, as a geologist conducting environmental remediation across the New York City tristate area.

Margaret Barry is the Climate Litigation Fellow at the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law. She manages the Sabin Center’s U.S. Climate Change Litigation Database and is the managing editor of the Environmental Law in New York newsletter. Margaret received her J.D. from New York University School of Law, where she was the editor-in-chief of the New York University Environmental Law Journal. 

Luisa Colón is the Assistant Director of Operations at the Sabin Center, where she collaborates with the leadership team to design and manage systems supporting projects, budgets, and resources. Her work focuses on strengthening organizational infrastructure and facilitating partnerships among researchers, practitioners, and students. 

Previously, Luisa managed interdisciplinary initiatives at Bard College, where she led grant and network operations for the Experimental Humanities Collaborative Network and supported the Wiháŋble S’a Center for Indigenous AI. Her background in international education includes managing programs for The New School, overseeing initiatives in Latin America for Amigos de las Américas, and teaching in Southeast Asia. She is interested in the intersection of community-based development and international relations, valuing opportunities to address global challenges through local engagement.

Luisa holds a BS in Business Administration with concentrations in International Management and Marketing from Boston University.

Prior to joining CSLDF, Lauren was a litigation associate at the international law firm Dechert LLP. At Dechert, she represented commercial and individual clients on a variety of multi-billion and multi-million dollar commercial disputes as well as litigation over Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, document discovery claims, and defamation claims.

She has also held legal and policy positions at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Lauren graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Karina Sarandrea is the Climate Litigation Database Manager at the Sabin Center, where she manages the maintenance and ongoing development of the Global Climate Litigation Database and contributes to other Center initiatives, such as the project on Climate and Health, where relevant. 

Prior to joining the Climate Litigation Team, Karina consulted independently for the World Resources Institute on knowledge systems management, developing a portfolio of digital tools and knowledge products on environmental crime enforcement with the Nature Crime Alliance. While in graduate school, Karina also worked on climate and security research projects including a consulting engagement with the Wilson Center Polar Institute on Arctic strategic foresight and a self-led investigation of ocean plastic pollution and shipping vessel behavior utilizing artificial intelligence. 

Previously, Karina provided research and technical contributions for projects focused on federal agriculture and greenhouse gas emissions as a Ruckelshaus Fellow and Project Associate at the former Meridian Institute, and interned at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida Office of the Clerk of Court. She holds a Master of Science in Environment and International Affairs from Georgetown University and an undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of Florida.  

Jon Binder is the Executive Director of the Model Climate Laws Initiative and a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Sabin Center.

The Model Climate Laws Initiative is a joint project of the Sabin Center and Environmental Advocates NY. As Executive Director, Jon leads the Initiative as it seeks to enhance legal capacity for climate action by state and local governments across the country. The Model Climate Laws Initiative aims to advance state-level climate policy nationwide by providing draft legislation, legal analysis, implementation support, and other legal tools to facilitate further progress. At a critical time, amidst legal attacks from fossil fuel interests and the federal government, Jon works to demonstrate the value of additional state-level action while preserving the climate progress already made by states. 

Prior to becoming Executive Director of the Model Climate Laws Initiative, Jon was the Deputy Commissioner for Climate Change, Air Resources, and Energy at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). In that role, Jon oversaw NYSDEC’s Division of Air Resources and Office of Climate Change, and led NYSDEC’s implementation of the State’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. He was responsible for the development and execution of a wide range of policies, regulations, and other efforts to reduce air pollutant emissions and address the changing climate.

Before being appointed Deputy Commissioner, Jon served as an NYSDEC attorney for 15 years, most recently as the Chief of the Bureau of Climate, Air, and Energy. In that role, he served as NYSDEC’s lead attorney regarding climate issues, providing drafting and legal support for the promulgation of regulations, permitting decisions for major energy projects, and other clean air and energy actions.

Jon received his B.S. from Cornell University and his J.D. from Tulane University Law School, where he graduated magna cum laude and Order of the Coif with a Certificate in Environmental Law and was an editor on the Tulane Law Review. 

Ilmi Granoff is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow, at the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law working on Climate Finance and Regulation topics. He is an attorney and climate and sustainable finance expert with over two decades of experience—spanning public, private, and third-sector institutions—working on the policy and financing of the transition to a net-zero greenhouse gas, sustainable economy. He serves as a trusted advisor, manager, and fiduciary for philanthropies, governments, financial institutions, and companies on sustainable finance and policy matters in the US, Europe, Latin America, and Africa, and an accomplished speaker, researcher, and author. 

Ilmi is also a member of the Climate-related Financial Risk Advisory Committee (CFRAC) of the Financial Stability Oversight Council at the US Department of the Treasury, and a Visiting Senior Fellow at the Grantham Research Institute at the London School of Economics. llmi is a principal at the strategic advisory firm Climate Technology Group and at the private investment firm Adventure Capital and a Senior Advisor to the ClimateWorks Foundation, where he recently served as a Senior Director and established and led their Finance Program. Previously, Ilmi headed the Green Growth Business Unit at the Overseas Development Institute, served as the Special Counsel for Climate and Environment at the African Development Bank, practiced law in the global energy and infrastructure group at Freshfields, and worked at the United Nations Development Program. He holds a J.D. from New York University School of Law, master's degrees in international relations and environmental science from Yale University, and a B.A. (High Honors) from Swarthmore College.

Dr. Maria Antonia is the Director of Global Climate Change Litigation at the Sabin Center. She manages the Sabin Center's Global Climate Change Litigation Database with the support of the Sabin Center's Peer Review Network of Climate Litigation. Maria Antonia is a leading expert in the field of climate change law and climate litigation, having published dozens of articles on the topic. She also co-heads the Sabin Center and GNHRE's project on Climate Litigation in the Global South. Her research particularly focuses on rights-based climate litigation, climate litigation in the Global South, and the forthcoming advisory opinions on climate change. 

With extensive experience in the field, she previously worked as a Senior Attorney at the Environment Program of the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice. During her tenure, she provided pro bono legal services to NGOs worldwide, focusing on issues related to protected areas and the intersection of human rights and the environment. Prior to her work at the Vance Center, Maria Antonia held a fellowship position at the World Resources Institute. Before, she practiced law in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in the private sector. Maria Antonia also serves as the Deputy Director of the Global Network for Human Rights and the Environment (GNHRE), where she collaborates with scholars and practitioners to study the relationship between human rights and the environment.

As a member of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law, Maria Antonia actively contributes to developing and advancing environmental legal frameworks. She has authored numerous publications on regional and international environmental law, with a specific focus on environmental rights, the evolution of international environmental law, and climate litigation. Her research also encompasses the protection of the Amazon ecosystem, emphasizing the importance of regional cooperation.

Maria Antonia is a sought-after speaker at conferences and symposiums and has delivered a TEDx talk. She completed her Doctorate in Juridical Studies (S.JD.) at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University in 2022. In 2013, she earned a dual LL.M., magna cum laude, specializing in environmental law and comparative legal studies, from the same institution. Maria Antonia obtained her LL.B. from the Pontifícia Universidade Católica of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Daniel Metzger joined the Sabin Center in September 2023 as a Smart Surfaces Fellow. His work focuses on facilitating the adoption of reflective roofs and pavements, porous pavements, green roofs, solar PV, trees, and more at the metropolitan and community level.

Before joining the Sabin Center, Dan advocated for the just transition to renewable electricity generation in the Southeast as a litigator with the Southern Environmental Law Center. Prior to that role Dan was a Climate Law Fellow at the Sabin Center focused on international climate change litigation, climate risks and opportunities in the reinsurance industry, and the law and science of climate change attribution. 

Dan clerked on District Court for the Eastern District of New York after graduating from Vanderbilt Law School, where he was the executive editor of the Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law and a member of the Environmental Law and Policy Annual Review. He also completed a master’s degree in natural resource management at Iceland’s University Centre of the Westfjords.

Cynthia Hanawalt is the Director of the Sabin Center’s Climate and Business Law practice. Her work supports regulatory and policy responses to climate-related financial risk at the federal and state level and includes a focus on the complex intersections of ESG and antitrust law with sustainability goals and climate resiliency measures. Cynthia is affiliated with Columbia Climate School and the Initiative for Climate Risk & Resilience Law. She is a frequent speaker and media source and writes regularly on issues of climate law and finance.

Prior to joining the Sabin Center, Cynthia served as Chief of the Investor Protection Bureau for the New York State Office of the Attorney General. Under her leadership, the Bureau recovered over $850M on behalf of New York investors and achieved groundbreaking results in electronic trading and cryptocurrency matters. Previously, she was a litigation partner at the firm Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP.

Cynthia serves as a Trustee and Chair of the Audit Committee of Wave Hill, a public garden and cultural center in the Bronx. She is a graduate of Columbia Law School, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, and Duke University, where she received the William J. Griffith University Service Award.

Charlotte Biren joined the Sabin Center in September 2026 as the Climate Justice Fellow. Her work focuses on evaluating environmental justice and equity considerations in climate change law and policy.

Charlotte graduated from New York University School of Law in 2026, where she was a Root-Tilden-Kern Public Interest Scholar. At NYU, she was a student advocate in the Global Justice Clinic and the Legal Empowerment and Judicial Independence Clinic, a research assistant with NYU’s Climate Litigation Accelerator, and a staff editor for the NYU Review of Law and Social Change. She was a summer clerk with EarthRights International and Earthjustice Puerto Rico. Prior to law school, she worked on human rights and environmental justice issues in Ecuador, Peru, and the United States, including with Kofán and Shipibo-Konibo communities and in the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office of Sustainability. Charlotte received her B.A. in Development Studies and Latin American and Caribbean Studies from Brown University in 2016.

Brooke Mercaldi joined the Sabin Center in October 2026 as an Equitable Cities Climate Law Fellow. Her work focuses on the urban climate transition and legal tools local governments use to advance climate mitigation and adaptation. 

Brooke earned her J.D. with an Advanced Certificate in Environmental Law and her Master of Environmental Management through the joint degree program at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University and the Yale School of the Environment. While completing her law degree, Brooke was a Research & Writing Editor on the Pace Environmental Law Review, as well as a Land Use Scholar and Sustainable Business Law Hub Student Scholar. During her time at Yale University, Brooke served as a Research Assistant at the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy and was a Law, Environment & Animals Program Fellow at Yale Law School. She also participated in the Yale Environmental Protection Clinic where she spent several semesters researching climate change law and policy issues with various national environmental organizations.

Prior to the joint degree program, Brooke earned a B.S. in Environmental Systems and Sustainability Studies from Southern Connecticut State University, where she completed an Honors Thesis on the physical dynamics of the Connecticut shoreline and their implications for coastal zone management. Her work is published in the Journal of Coastal Research.

Before beginning her role as an Equitable Cities Climate Law Fellow, Brooke worked as an Environmental Law & Policy Consultant for the Natural Resources Defense Council and as a Staff Attorney at the Marine Affairs Institute & Rhode Island Sea Grant Legal Program. 

Ashwin Murthy joined the Sabin Center as a Negative Emissions Fellow in August 2024. His work focuses on the legal framework around negative emissions and ocean-based carbon dioxide removal, at both the national and international level.

Ashwin Murthy graduated from Columbia Law School in 2024 with an LL.M. Prior to Columbia, Ashwin worked at Kim & Chang in Korea, and in Khaitan & Co. in India, as an arbitration and dispute resolution lawyer. Ashwin graduated from NALSAR University of Law, India with a B.A. LL.B. in 2020, and is qualified to practice law in India.

Andy Fitch joined the Sabin Center as a Climate and Business Law Fellow in April 2025. Fitch’s work covers intersections of ESG and antitrust law with sustainability and climate-resiliency goals. He focuses on regulatory and policy responses to climate-related financial risk at the federal and state level.

Prior to joining the Sabin team, Fitch worked for the Department of Justice Antitrust Division’s front office. He earned a J.D. from Columbia Law School in 2024. While a student at Columbia, Fitch gained professional experience in the offices of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Federal Trade Commission’s Rulemaking Group, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, the New York State Office of the Attorney General’s Antitrust Bureau, and the Open Markets Institute. Prior to attending law school, Fitch was a weekly columnist for the Los Angeles Review of Books, and a Creative Writing professor at the University of Wyoming.

Andrew Kieffer joined the Sabin Center in September 2025 as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Renewable Energy Legal Defense Initiative, which uses legal research and engagement to support siting utility- and community-scale renewable energy facilities and associated transmission and storage equipment. His work focuses on identifying legal pathways to challenge land-use and siting barriers which impede the development of renewable energy and delay the energy transition.

Andrew graduated from the University of Chicago Law School in 2025. At UChicago, Andrew participated in the Abrams Environmental Law Clinic where he represented energy justice organizations before the Michigan Public Service Commission. During his summers, Andrew served as a law clerk for the Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute, a legal intern for the Office of the Solicitor at the Department of the Interior, and a Human Rights Center Fellow.

Prior to law school, Andrew served as a city planner for the City of Warrenville in Illinois — seeing firsthand the complex impacts of localism on community development. He graduated with a B.S. in environmental planning from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. While at UWSP, Andrew cofounded and directed a state campaign advocating for institutional divestment from fossil fuels.

Amy Turner served as Director of the Cities Climate Law Initiative at the Sabin Center and held an Associate Research Scholar appointment at Columbia Law School until 2026. She is now a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Sabin Center. Amy is an expert on local climate law and policy across the buildings, transportation, waste and energy sectors, as well as on local climate funding and financing and on the interplay of state and federal climate policy and local units of government. She currently works to mobilize technical assistance and other supports to advance local climate policy. Amy is a co-author of the book Urban Climate Law from Columbia University Press and is widely cited in press stories on local climate law. 

Prior to joining the Sabin Center in 2019, Amy was the executive director and a co-founder of the NYC Climate Action Alliance. She practiced environmental and transactional law for ten years at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP and in solo practice. Amy graduated from Middlebury College, magna cum laude, and from Harvard Law School, where she was an articles and technical editor for the Harvard Environmental Law Review. She formerly served as co-chair for the New York City Bar Association’s Committee on Environmental Law, as vice chair of the board of directors for the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative, and on New York City’s Sustainability Advisory Board. She currently sits on the board of Forward Together Wisconsin and on the Milwaukee City-County Lakefront Development Advisory Commission.