Gwen advises businesses, institutional and organizational clients on environmental law and policy, including compliance planning, incident response, subsequent enforcement and litigation matters, , special investigations, and government relations. She has worked on matters involving every environmental statute as a government regulator or outside counsel , and a significant portion of Gwen’s practice focuses on the regulatory and litigation risks associated with emerging contaminants, including PFAS and ethylene oxide, as well as plastics and asbestos. She also advises...
Gwen advises businesses, institutional and organizational clients on environmental law and policy, including compliance planning, incident response, subsequent enforcement and litigation matters, , special investigations, and government relations. She has worked on matters involving every environmental statute as a government regulator or outside counsel , and a significant portion of Gwen’s practice focuses on the regulatory and litigation risks associated with emerging contaminants, including PFAS and ethylene oxide, as well as plastics and asbestos. She also advises clients on environment, social and governance (ESG) issues and the impacts climate change can have on business operations.
Gwen’s strengths in building relationships, advising on complex legal and regulatory matters, in-depth knowledge of local, state and federal governments, and helping clients achieve their business and operational imperatives are the heart of her practice. Gwen spent more than twenty years in the public sector as both an elected and appointed official at the state and local levels, and in federal agencies. She served as Chief of Staff to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during the Obama Administration. Earlier, Gwen served as the Regional Administrator (RA) for EPA Region 4 (Southeastern Region), where she was responsible for establishing and implementing environmental policy, including the principles of environmental justice for eight southeastern states and six federally recognized tribes. Gwen finalized the Region's Environmental Justice (EJ) Policy (previously stagnated for 10 years), instituted regular environmental justice information sessions with state partners and communities, and created a Regional EJ Interagency Working Group with other federal agencies to strategically and comprehensively address community concerns. Gwen also instituted the Colleges and Underserved Community Partnership Program (CUPP) which partnered college students with senior federal staff to provide much needed environmental, health and technical services to some of the poorest jurisdictions in their region.
Gwen is a twice elected District Attorney for the Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit in DeKalb County, Georgia. She was the first African American and first woman to hold that office. She also served as Principal Legal Advisor (General Counsel) for Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).