Maureen Fleming Gorsen

She is a distinguished environmental law and regulatory attorney with over two decades of experience in agency enforcement defense, regulatory compliance, and environmental policy, currently serving as Partner at Sidley Austin LLP. In this role, she provides strategic legal counsel on agency enforcement defense, obtaining agency approvals for complex remediation sites, and developing regulatory compliance strategies for businesses dealing with hazardous materials, pesticides, and industrial production emissions. Prior to joining Sidley, she spent 12 years as a Partner at Alston & Bird, LLP. She also served as Director of the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, where she led a department with a $205 million annual budget and 1,067 scientists, engineers, and professionals in cleaning up contaminated sites and protecting public health. She served as Deputy Secretary for Law Enforcement and General Counsel at the California Environmental Protection Agency, where she was general counsel to the Cabinet Secretary on environmental law, regulation, and policy. She also served as Adjunct Professor at UC Santa Barbara's Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, teaching Administrative Law and Advanced Topics in Environmental Law. She holds a JD from Georgetown Law, where she was a John M. Olin Law and Economics Fellow, and an MA in International Energy and Environmental Policy from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. She is recognized as a visionary, strategic, and impactful leader who has dedicated her career to protecting public health and the environment through rigorous legal practice, policy development, and leadership.