Melissa K. Scanlan, Founder and Senior Counsel

Raised in a rural area of Wisconsin, Melissa Kwaterski Scanlan returned to her home state to open Midwest Environmental Advocates, Wisconsin’s first non-profit environmental law center.  Ms. Scanlan served as the Executive Director of Midwest Environmental Advocates from 1999 – 2007, when she moved to Milwaukee to open Midwest Environmental Advocates’ Milwaukee Office and serve as the organization’s Senior Counsel.

Ms. Scanlan received a law degree and a master of science from the University of California-Berkeley. While at Berkeley, she received several scholarships and awards, including the 1999 Harmon Award for the Best Environmental Law Writing at UC-Berkeley and the Alvin & Sadie Landis Scholarship in Water Law, a scholarship that was given to one member of the class of 1999 for outstanding work in the field of water law.

She is the author of law review articles ranging from poverty to the public trust, and is often a public speaker on environmental justice issues, water rights, and more. Named as a Rising Star by SuperLawyers in 2006, 2007, and 2008, Ms. Scanlan works to educate people about their legal rights; organize to protect air, water and access to government; and litigate when other avenues have failed.  To learn more, read about Ms. Scanlan in the March 2008 AirTrans Magazine.