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

Carol Goldberg is PEER's Associate Director and is in charge of administration and finance. Carol has extensive experience in non-profit management, including many years as the Assistant Director of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, DC. Prior to joining PEER's staff, she spent five years as a self-employed therapist specializing in neurofeedback. She has an A.B. in cultural anthropology from Brown University, a Master's degree (and doctoral coursework) in cultural anthropology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and an M.S.W. from the University of Maryland at Baltimore. cgoldberg[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

Adam Draper recently joined PEER as staff counsel. He graduated from Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, OR with a certificate in environmental and natural resources law and he was a member of the Environmental Law Review. Before moving to DC in 2007, he clerked for Judge Susan R. Agid on the Washington State Court of Appeals in Seattle. Prior to attending law school he worked as an environmental consultant on asbestos and lead inspection and removal projects. He has a B.S. in environmental science from Oregon State University (Go Beavers!). adraper[at]peer.org

Justin Haas is PEER’s Program Assistant. Justin graduated from Brown University in 2003 with a degree in Education Policy, and worked in children’s policy for a few years. The increasing importance of environmental issues led him to pursue his lifelong interest in protecting the planet as a profession. jhaas[at]peer.org

Angela Welsh has joined PEER as the Director of Major Gifts. Angela has been in fundraising for over 20 years. Recently, she served as the Director of the Diana, Princess of Wales, Legacy Fund at the National Hospice Foundation. She has also been the National Director of Development with Kidsave International, an organization devoted to ending harmful institutionalization of orphans around the world. As the Assistant Director of Donor Programs for the National World War II Memorial Campaign, Angela created a program honoring the women from the homefront. She currently serves on the board of Christ Episcopal Church, working on the Mission and Outreach Committee, and is on the board of Community Lodgings, an organization that offers transitional housing to low-income and homeless families. Angela is an advisor to the Institute for Nature and Leadership. Angela was raised and educated in England. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia with her husband Patrick, a teacher at T.C. Williams High School and education writer. They have three children: Magin, Claire and Neil. awelsh[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

Bill Wolfe is PEER's New Jersey Field Director. Bill Wolfe spent the previous 13 years as a Policy Analyst and Planner with the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (1985-1995; 2002-2004). Bill came to know PEER in 1994 when his career at DEP was punctuated by his public disclosure of a memoranda between Governor Whitman and the Agency seeking to suppress, distort, fail-to-warn the public, and avoid aggressively responding to scientific research documenting high levels of mercury in NJ freshwater fish. njpeer[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. npeer[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