Our Staff

With more than fifty years of collective experience in environmental and land use law matters, our lawyers are recognized leaders in their field.

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ELC attorneys have experience in litigating cases in a variety of forums from federal and state court to administrative law proceedings. We also frequently appear before governmental decision-making bodies from state water management districts to county commissions. Our lawyers maintain a high profile, as authors of Op Ed pieces, legal articles and position papers, and as speakers at conferences and seminars. Our work has been featured in numerous news articles and garnered significant awards and recognition.

Elizabeth Fata Carpenter

Elizabeth Fata Carpenter

Executive Director

Elizabeth focuses her practice on greater Everglades restoration issues, including implementation of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, and environmental issues in South Florida impacting communities and the natural and built environments.

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ainsley

Ansley Samson

General Counsel

Ansley’s focus is on greater Everglades restoration issues, including implementation of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan and the state and federal water laws that shape Everglades restoration efforts.

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Lisa Interlandi

Lisa Interlandi

Policy Director

Lisa’s practice focuses on greater Everglades restoration issues, including implementation of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, and land use and environmental permitting decisions in Palm Beach County which impact Everglades restoration efforts.

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Francesca

Francesca DiJulio

Staff Attorney

Francesca DiJulio is a staff attorney with Everglades Law Center. She is based in Miami and focuses her legal and advocacy work on issues affecting South Florida water quality, greater Everglades restoration, and Biscayne Bay climate resilience.

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Julia Saltzman

Operations and Development Manager

Julia is the operations and development manager for Everglades Law Center. She is based in Miami and focuses on marketing, fundraising, operations, and communication for Everglades Law Center. 

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All ELC attorneys are licensed to practice in the State of Florida.
Ansley Samson is also licensed to practice in North Carolina and New York.

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Elizabeth Fata Carpenter, Executive Director

Elizabeth Fata Carpenter is the Executive Director of the Everglades Law Center. She focuses her legal practice on greater Everglades restoration, water quality, climate resiliency, and other environmental issues in Florida impacting communities and the environment.

Elizabeth is a native Floridian and grew up along the Indian River Lagoon. Elizabeth obtained her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and her law degree from the University of Miami, magna cum laude, Order of the Coif. While in law school, Elizabeth was the managing editor of the International and Comparative Law Review and a member of the Charles C. Papy Moot Court Board. Elizabeth also served as the William M. Hoeveler Fellow in the Environmental Justice Clinic.

Before joining the Everglades Law Center, Elizabeth spent time providing environmental education at Oregon Caves National Monument, working with salmon aquaculture in Kodiak, Alaska, and implementing environmental justice efforts in Miami-Dade County. Elizabeth also spent three years litigating complex business and commercial matters as an Associate Attorney at Cozen O’Connor.

Elizabeth is the Chair of the Village of El Portal’s Sustainability & Resiliency Task Force, represents the Village of El Portal as a member of the Project Delivery Team for a Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Project, and is the 2020 and 2022 Village of El Portal Citizen of the Year.

Ansley Samson, General Counsel

Ansley’s focus is on greater Everglades restoration issues, including implementation of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan and the state and federal water laws that shape Everglades restoration efforts.

Before joining the Everglades Law Center and over almost 20 years of practicing environmental law, Ansley worked with Earthjustice, the Southern Environmental Law Center, and the Natural Resources Defense Council, and litigated cases under the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, Water Resources Development Act of 2000, and Administrative Procedure Act, as well as various state environmental laws. She has taught environmental litigation as an adjunct at Florida State College of Law and Duke University Law School.

Ansley graduated with honors from Yale College in 1990, with a B.A. in Literature and Studies in the Environment, and received a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1996, also with honors. She is a member of the Florida, North Carolina, and New York Bars. A native Floridian (and the daughter and granddaughter of native Floridians), she finds herself in Brooklyn, having raised two native New Yorkers with her husband. Ansley received the 2023 Everglades Coalition Conservationist of the Year Award.

Lisa Interlandi, Policy Director

Lisa oversees the organization’s programs and strategic direction. Her legal practice focuses on greater Everglades restoration issues, including implementation of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, and land use and environmental permitting decisions in Palm Beach County which impact Everglades restoration efforts.

Lisa previously served as Senior Staff Attorney for ELC, leading up the Center’s work in Palm Beach County. Before joining ELC, Lisa served as Assistant General Counsel with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in Tallahassee where she focused on state lands and natural resource litigation.

Lisa obtained her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and graduated from the Florida State University College of Law, Magna cum Laude, in 1998. She is a member of the Florida Bar. Lisa was named the Everglades Coalition George M. Barley Conservationist of the Year in 2006. She resides in Palm Beach County with her husband and two children.

Francesca DiJulio​

Francesca DiJulio is a staff attorney with Everglades Law Center. She is based in Miami and focuses her legal and advocacy work on issues affecting South Florida water quality, greater Everglades restoration, and Biscayne Bay climate resilience.

Although not a native Floridian, Francesca’s work and education have drawn her to Everglades restoration and biodiversity conservation. Francesca is a recent graduate from the George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C. where she received a J.D. with a specialization in Environmental Law. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in land management and environmental policy, where she focused on sustainable land use issues in urban planning, agriculture, and conservation.

Prior to joining the Everglades Law Center in 2023, Francesca worked with numerous environmental non-profits as a law clerk and legal assistant, including Natural Resources Defense Council, Earthjustice, Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife and Sierra Club. 

Francesca resides in Miami and is barred in Florida.

Julia Saltzman

Julia Saltzman is the operations an development manager at Everglades Law Center. She works primarily on marketing, fundraising, and operations for ELC. Julia has a background in marine conservation biology and science communication, as well as administration and grant-writing. 

Julia received her Bachelor's of Science in Marine Science, Biology, and Ecosystem Science and Policy from the University of Miami and her Master's of Science in Biology from the University of New Hampshire. In addition to her work at ELC, Julia is a researcher who uses quantitative tools to solve interdisciplinary environmental problems. She works primarily with migratory marine megafauna– especially sharks, rays, and marine turtles.