About Us: Staff
Washington, D.C. Staff
Jeff Ruch has been the Executive Director of PEER since 1997. With Jeff DeBonis, he helped to start PEER and for its first four years served as General Counsel & Program Director. Prior to that Jeff was the Policy Director and a staff attorney at the Government Accountability Project representing whistleblowers from both the public and private sector. Before coming to DC, Jeff worked in California state government for 17 years, mostly in the State Legislature as counsel to various committees where he drafted literally hundreds of laws on topics ranging from energy conservation to the rights of employed inventors. Jeff served stints as a deputy district attorney, an appellate court clerk and is a graduate of the California Correctional Officers Academy. jruch[at]peer.org
Kate Hornyan joins PEER as the Membership and Outreach Coordinator. She is a recent graduate of the George Washington University where she studied International Affairs and Human Services. She is currently continuing her studies as a GW Colonial and is pursuing a Master's in Public Administration. Through these academic pursuits, Kate has been able to apply her interest in international relations to her passion for nonprofit work. Although academically focused in international affairs, Kate looks forward to applying her skills and learning more about environmental issues with PEER. khornyan[at]peer.org
Paula Dinerstein is PEER’s Senior Counsel and an attorney with 18 years of experience. She received her law degree from the George Washington University National Law Center. Prior to joining PEER, she clerked for a federal district court judge in Washington DC and then practiced with small public-interest oriented law firms. Her work included representation of States and advocacy groups in energy and environmental matters, including recovery for overcharges by oil companies for use in state energy conservation programs, challenges to EPA pesticide registrations, challenges to hydroelectric licenses, and litigation concerning regulations which weakened the federal organic food standards. pdinerstein[at]peer.org
Chiquita Edwards, Finance and Administration Manager, brings numerous years of non-profit management experience to PEER. She has provided financial, human resources, administrative, and technological expertise to Prince George’s Community College Foundation, The Institute for Conservation Leadership, Public Justice, and the Children’s Defense Fund. For the past four years she also owned and operated a part-time bookkeeping business. Chiquita is pursuing a M.Ed. in Adult Education and holds a B.S. in Social Science from the University of Maryland University College and an A.S. in Business from Prince George’s Community College. Chiquita also holds the titles of wife, mother, and grandmother and enjoys the outdoors, spoiling her grandson and is in happy anticipation of her second grandchild (and hoping it’s a girl). cedwards[at]peer.org
Christine Erickson is PEER Staff Counsel. She graduated from American University, Washington College of Law in 2008, where she was editor of the Sustainable Development Law and Policy Journal, as well as Vice President of the Environmental Law Society. During law school, she worked for the Environmental Protection Agency, in the Air Enforcement Division. After leaving the EPA, she went on to clerk at the Natural Resources Defense Council, working on various federal and international environmental cases. She has a B.S. in English and Political Science from UCLA. cerickson[at]peer.org
Kirsten Stade is PEER’s Advocacy Director. For more than a decade she has worked on campaigns targeting extractive industries on public lands, and has published research with WildEarth Guardians on the impacts of livestock grazing on fire ecology and ecosystem health in the American west. She has a Master’s degree in Conservation Biology from Columbia University and a Bachelor’s in Earth Systems from Stanford University. Kirsten enjoys training and grooming dogs, and volunteers with animal rescue groups in the Washington, DC area. She lives with her partner and a growing number of rescued dogs in Takoma Park, MD. kstade[at]peer.org
Field Staff
Kyla Bennett is PEER's New England Field Director. Kyla previously worked at EPA Region 1 for 10 years as a wetland permit reviewer and as the Region’s Wetlands Enforcement Coordinator. Kyla first became involved with PEER in the mid 1990s, when she became a whistleblower herself. Kyla has a Ph.D. in ecology from the University of Connecticut and a law degree from Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon. nepeer[at]peer.org
Jerry Phillips is PEER's Florida Field Director. Jerry is a former enforcement attorney with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. In that position he was responsible for initiating enforcement actions against wastewater facilities that were in violation of environmental regulations. Jerry was also involved in developing the enforcement aspect of Florida’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Program. flpeer[at]peer.org
Karen Schambach is PEER's California Field Director. Karen has a strong track record as an activist in off-road vehicle and forestry issues. Karen has a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies, and worked as a paralegal specializing in employment law prior to becoming PEER’s California representative. capeer[at]peer.org
Gene Hocutt is PEER's RefugeKeeper Field Director. Gene is a long-time FWS Refuge Manager who during his 29 year career served on five refuges in four Regions, on both coastal and inland units across the country. Gene, who holds advanced degrees in zoology and education, also served as a Supervisor of Conservation Education for the State of Maine. refugekeeper[at]peer.org
Chandra Rosenthal is PEER's Rocky Mountain Field Director. Chandra is a former staff attorney with Defenders of Wildlife specializing in endangered species and public lands issues. Chandra has also worked for the U.S. Department of Justice and, under a legal fellowship, worked on a Superfund site with the Department of Energy. rmpeer[at]peer.org
Barry Sulkin is PEER's Tennessee Field Director. Barry is a Volunteer State native and former Chief of Enforcement and Compliance for the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation (TDEC). Barry worked for TDEC from 1976 - 1990, leaving shortly after testifying that the agency had issued an illegal permit. Since then, he has created an extensive private practice as an investigator and scientist serving citizen groups and others on a wide range of water quality issues. tnpeer[at]peer.org
Daniel Patterson is an ecologist and PEER's Southwest Director. He has been active with PEER since the mid-90's. He previously worked with BLM in the Mojave Desert on off-road vehicles and endangered species, and as Deserts Program Director with the Center for Biological Diversity. Daniel is a graduate of Michigan State University's College of Natural Resources. He serves on the City of Tucson Planning Commission, Pima County Board of Adjustment, and as President of the Santa Rita Park Neighborhood Association. swpeer[at]peer.org