Center Staff

Our Team

Bethany Davis Noll

Executive Director

Bethany Davis Noll (she, her) is an expert in administrative and environmental law and an experienced litigator. She is also an adjunct professor at NYU Law and co-chair of the Environmental Law Committee of the New York City Bar Association.

Jessica Bell

Energy Director & Deputy Director

Jessica Bell (she, her) is an experienced attorney dedicated to promoting the public interest in the environmental and energy sectors. She previously served as the Clean Energy Attorney at the Center, focusing on energy law issues at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and on state energy policy matters.

Brian Frosh

Distinguished Senior Counsel

Brian Frosh served as Maryland’s 46th Attorney General from 2015 to 2023. During his two terms AG, Brian Frosh worked to ensure fairness, equality and justice for all Marylanders. Prior to being elected AG, he had been an attorney in private practice since 1976.

Rachel Ramirez-Guest

Staff Attorney

Rachel Ramirez-Guest (she, her, hers) is an attorney with experience in environmental law and policy, including issues of environmental justice and municipal environmental compliance.

Madeline Collins

Clean Energy Attorney

Madeline Collins (she, her) is an attorney with litigation experience, an LLM in Environmental Law, and a dedication to serving the public interest. She previously worked as Assistant District Attorney with the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office.

Christine Billy

Senior Legal Fellow

Christine Billy (she, her) has devoted her career to developing and implementing policies for a sustainable and equitable future. She is an adjunct professor of clinical law at NYU School of Law with over a decade of law and policy experience in climate and environmental law, food law, labor and employment law, human rights law, and local and state authority. She has advised on local and state emergency powers during multiple emergencies, including Superstorm Sandy and the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, she served as Chief Legal Counsel for the NYC COVID-19 Food Czar where she worked on the largest municipal emergency food delivery program in the nation – serving over 200 million meals at the height of the pandemic.

Aleksandra “Sasha” George Ruiz

Legal Fellow for Environmental Justice*

Sasha George Ruiz (they, she) is an environmental justice and civil rights attorney with experience in federal Clean Air Act enforcement, hazardous waste act compliance, and community-based justice work.

Tatiana Zapata

Legal Fellow

Tatiana Zapata is a graduate of St. John’s University School of Law. She was the Co-Founder and Vice President of the school’s Environmental Law Society, as well as a student member of the NYCBA Committee on Environmental Law. Tatiana is a first-generation law school graduate and Colombian immigrant dedicated to advocating on behalf of historically marginalized communities. She previously worked as a legal intern at the Center before joining staff full time.

Carlos E. Minaya Arnao

Communications Manager

Carlos E. Minaya Arnao (he, him) is a public health specialist and environmental conservationist. He joins the Center from the bay area in California, where he worked for Mission Neighborhood Health Center leading their community outreach and patient enrollment department.

Tiernaur Anderson

Digital Media Manager

Tiernaur Anderson is is a climate communications professional with an interest in making climate action more accessible for people at all levels of awareness and engagement. In her role she produces the biweekly newsletter, manages the Center’s AG Actions database and other online tools, designs Center reports and web resources, and assists in research for projects and reports.

Jasmine Elbekraoui

Communications & Program Assistant

Jasmine Elbekraoui has a background in environmental science with an interest in environmental policy and research. Prior to joining the Center she worked for a student advocacy group, and played a crucial role in advocating for various campaigns and teaching college students how to be effective advocates in their community. At the Center, Jasmine works with the communication and operations team and assist with day-to-day tasks.

Students Working With Us

Meet the students working with the Center as research assistants and interns this semester.

Delaina Castillo

Delaina Castillo is a 2L at Stanford Law School. She is co-president of Stanford Law Students for Climate Action and serves as a Submissions Editor and Web Editor for the Environmental Law Journal. Delaina is interested in the intersection between communications and legal advocacy, and is passionate about helping communities achieve environmental justice.

Ana Oropeza

Ana Oropeza is a recent graduate of Columbia University, where she majored in Film and Media Studies with a concentration in Business Management.

Georgia Rock

Georgia Rock is a third-year student at NYU Law. She is co-chair of the Public Interest Law Student Association and a staff editor on the Environmental Law Journal.

Madeline Schwartz

Madeline Schwartz (she, her) is a 2L at Cardozo School of Law. She is Vice President of the school’s Environmental Law Society.

Past Leadership

David J. Hayes

Past Executive Director

David J. Hayes was the State Impact Center’s executive director from August 2017 through January 2021, when he left the Center to serve in the Biden administration as Special Assistant to the President for Climate Policy, a role he filled until late 2022.

Elizabeth Johnson Klein

Past Deputy Director

Elizabeth Johnson Klein was the State Impact Center’s deputy director from August 2017 through January 2021. Klein now serves in the Biden administration as Senior Counselor to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.