When Lisa Clay graduated law school in 1987, she never imagined she wouldbe practicing environmental law, let alone be awarded with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Environmental Quality Awardnearly 40years later.
Afterinitiallyplanning to work in consumer advocacy orwith people who cannot afford representation, Clay isnowthe Deputy District Counsel (Regulatory & Operations Divisions) and Senior Environmental Law Attorney for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District. Shehas been an attorney here since she graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School.
“So, really environmental law didn't bring me to[USACE],” she said. “It's[USACE]that brought me to environmental law."
The Environmental Quality Award is part of the USACE Environmental Awards Program,an enterprise-wide program recognizingsignificant environmental contributions being made by USACE professionals.
“As lawyers, we help support and facilitate the work that the technical folks are doing,” she said. “So, to have the technical folks recognize that support is just overwhelming.I'mgrateful for it.”
At the startof her career, Clay spent her time working on contracting processes and the Freedom of Information Act.But it was only a matter of timebeforeanopportunity topracticeenvironmental lawarose.
Having not sought out environmental law classes during law school, Clay hit the books again, reading and studying case law and doing research on environmental policies and regulations.
For Clay, this was the point of no return.
“Once I started learning about[environmental law], I really enjoyed doing thework,” Clay said. “And so that's what I've been doing for the bulk of my time in the Corps."
On a day-to-day basis, Clayreviewsdocuments such as environmental impact statements or environmental assessments and helpsproject teamsfollow the regulationsandnavigate any changes in policies.
She often works closely with the Regulatory Division, othertechnicalteams outside of the legal field,andsome teamsoutside of USACE,such as partner agenciesat the state and local levels.
“One of the greatest things I'veexperiencedis developingmyloveforbeing a team playerand working on different kinds of teams with different kinds of people, different personalities, and different technical specialties,” Clay said. “It's one of the many benefits of working for the Corps[of Engineers].”
Over the last five years,Clay hasshared her experience andexpertisethrough teaching.She is one of the cadre of instructors who teachesfoundationalclasses like“Environmental Laws and Regulations” and “Regulatory 3,” which gives an overview on how to enforce the Regulatory Program.
The professionals in these courses have an opportunity to learn from Clayand work with one another while trying tounderstandpolicies and regulations and where those rules may or may not apply in their respective fields.
"You can read a regulation, but the letter of the regulation doesn't always helpyou understand how the rulewould apply in a real-world contextbecause thingsaren'talways black and white,” she said. “It’s all shades of gray.”
Claycontinues to bea go-to forher fellow attorneys and colleaguesto check forany new guidance, regulation, or policyand how they should apply it in their work.
WhileClay was surprisedupon the notification of herselection, her passion for environmental law and her willingness to share her knowledge and wisdom with those who seek her guidance clearly show why she was nominated for the Environmental Quality Award.
“These are the people I advise, who are nominating me for an award and presenting it to me,” she said. “There's something more meaningful about having it come from the client organizations who recognize yourefforts andinput and support to their workover the years.”
When asked who inspires her in her work, she said she is constantly inspired by the people delivering the Regulatory Program due to their resilience and flexibility when policies and regulations can change quickly.
As for her motivations,Clay hasconstantlybeen driven by the USACE missionsand the opportunity to serveothers.
“We're doing projects that are immediately beneficial and helpful to the communitiesthatwealllive in,” she said. “Sothat'sthe thingthat motivates me to keep working for[USACE].”