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.

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.

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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.

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 in 2015 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, and is admitted to practice before all federal district courts in Florida, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. Ansley received the 2023 Everglades Coalition Conservationist of the Year Award.

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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.

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.

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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.

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.

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.

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Hanna Rubin

Staff Attorney

Hanna Rubin is a staff attorney with Everglades Law Center. Based in South Florida, Hanna’s work focuses on legal and policy issues affecting the region’s natural resources and environment, with an emphasis on protecting South Florida’s unique ecosystems and advancing long-term environmental conservation.

Hanna Rubin, Staff Attorney

Hanna Rubin is a staff attorney with Everglades Law Center. She is based in Palm Beach County, where she was born and raised. Hanna began her career in conservation upon graduating from the University of Florida and joining the development team at a Palm Beach County sea turtle rehabilitation and ocean conservation organization. Hanna ultimately returned to the University of Florida for law school, earning her J.D. with honors in 2021, and subsequently joining the litigation and dispute resolution team of a local law firm. During over three years at the firm, Hanna litigated complex commercial matters in state and federal courts and represented municipalities with respect to issues like ordinance amendments and appeals of quasi-judicial decisions. From June 2025 to August 2026, Hanna served as the Term Law Clerk to a United States Magistrate Judge in the Southern District of Florida. Hanna is a past president of the Palm Beach County Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, a leader with the Palm Beach County Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers, and an active member of the Palm Beach County Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, among other community involvement. Hanna is admitted to practice in Florida, in the United States District Court for the Southern of Florida, and in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

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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. 

Julia Saltzman, Operations and Development Manager

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

Julia received her Bachelor of Science in Marine Science, Biology, and Ecosystem Science and Policy from the University of Miami and her Master of Science in Biology from the University of New Hampshire. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Biology at the University of Miami, where her research focuses on marine megafauna conservation and the use of quantitative and spatial tools to address interdisciplinary environmental questions. Julia is also a National Geographic Explorer.

In addition to her work at ELC, Julia is a researcher who studies migratory marine megafauna, particularly sharks, rays, and marine turtles. Her work combines approaches such as animal tracking, spatial analysis, and ecological modeling to better understand movement, habitat use, and conservation needs in changing coastal ecosystems.

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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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