CO-FOUNDER & RESEARCH SCIENTIST

Dr. Sarah Kelly is the co-founder of the Energy Justice Clinic. She is an applied social scientist, with a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Arizona. Sarah specializes in community-based participatory research methodologies on energy and water. For the last eight years she has conducted research with ancestral leaders and Mapuche-Williche communities in southern Chile on energy conflicts and intercultural water studies. Her work has been published in Geforum, Energy Policy, Energy Research and Social Science, and Environment and Planning E among other journals. At Dartmouth she teaches Energy Justice.

CO-FOUNDER

Professor Maron Greenleaf is an anthropologist, political ecologist, and legal scholar. She is co-founder of the Energy Justice Clinic and currently serves as the Faculty Advisory. She studies the politics of climate change, forests, energy, and green economies in Brazil and elsewhere. Maron holds a PhD in Anthropology from Stanford University, a JD from New York University, and a BA in Political Science from Yale University. She is an Assistant Professor in Dartmouth College’s Department of Anthropology.

PROGRAM SPECIALIST

Adamari Benavidez '25 is trained as a geographer and anthropologist with a concentration in legal geography. She is a Dartmouth graduate who received the Department of Geography's Class of '76 award for outstanding fieldwork. As the Energy Justice Program Specialist, Adamari mentors an interdisciplinary group of students in community-engaged participatory research, qualitative methods, and research ethics. This includes preparing students for local and international fieldwork, and in some cases, accompanying them. Her work centers on environment-society interactions, with particular emphasis on water, property tenure, and energy development analyzed through an energy justice lens. When not in the office, Adamari can usually be found near a river or wetland.

Helen Deng is a ’26 from San Jose, California, who studies Engineering and Geography with an interdisciplinary practice spanning multimedia and sound collage. Through the EJC, she has journeyed to her family's roots along the Yangtze River in China to create a short film on her familial intertwinement with the dualism of hydropolitics: construction and labor/displacement and ecological impacts. She has loved getting involved in the local community through flood resiliency events as well as the Black River Action Team, surveying and clearing culverts. Outside of the EJC, she loves upcycled/vintage fashion, dives down sustainable design rabbit holes, dances on Raaz (Dartmouth’s South Asian fusion dance group), and organizes with the Dartmouth Asian American Studies Collective.

Dan Gillis is a ‘26 at Dartmouth College studying Economics with an interest in environmental policy, energy insecurity, and community-based climate change solutions. While a member of  Dartmouth’s Energy Justice Clinic, Dan has worked on projects related to community solar and renewable energy access for resident-owned communities in Vermont and New Hampshire. His work is motivated by a commitment to helping rural communities navigate the legal, financial, and administrative barriers that shape access to clean energy.

Gideon Gruel is a ‘26 who grew up around DC. He is studying Philosophy, Classical Languages & Literature, and Political Theory at Dartmouth. He is interested in the many philosophical and legal questions that the Energy Justice Clinic treats through its scholarship, especially international and foreign laws and how such laws are positioned towards Indigenous communities.

Paulie Horvath is a '26 majoring in Environmental Studies with minors in Theater and Global Health. Through the EJC, Paulie has learned about the future of hydropower and stormwater management, working with the Vermont Department of Emergency Management on High Hazard Dam Mitigation and the Black River Action Team surveying culverts and ditches. 

Zoe is a '26 majoring in biology and environmental studies. Zoe was a part of the start of our Dartmouth Energy Justice Clinic collaboration with our Cavendish community partners in the spring of 2024 and loved collaborating on the community-based flood resiliency project. Zoe loves spending time outside and getting involved in other community service and sustainability-related projects around campus.

Erin Parker is a '26 from Sturbridge, Massachusetts who is studying Government, Geography, and Public Policy. Erin joined the Energy Justice Clinic after taking Energy Justice with Dr. Kelly. This summer, she worked as a Community Resilience Fellow, supporting the town of Cavendish, Vermont. She is excited to see how the project progresses as it expands to other towns in Vermont.

Sophie Reynolds is a '26 from Little Rock, Arkansas double majoring in Environmental Studies and Italian. She began working with the Energy Justice Clinic her sophomore spring, collaborating with the Vermont Department of Emergency Management on dam mitigation planning and creating community resources. As a Community Resilience Fellow in Summer 2024, she worked with Vermont community partners to assess rural drainage infrastructure and clear ditches and culverts. In Fall 2024, she led a climate communications social media initiative for the EJC, creating Instagram reels on major climate cases. Since Winter 2025, she has been working with two other students to analyze 2,000+ U.S. climate court cases and identify strategies to successfully use litigation as a form of climate activism. Sophie's EJC projects reflect her passion for connecting people, politics, and the environment through climate communications, education, policy, and advocacy. When not with the EJC, she works as a Peer Tutor in the Writing Center, gives campus tours for Dartmouth Admissions, and cheers on the Big Green as a captain of the Dartmouth Cheer Team.

Leonela is a '27 studying Engineering Sciences with a focus on environmental energy, conservation, and sustainability. Originally from Peru, she is passionate about advancing climate justice and supporting communities most affected by environmental challenges. Her work combines technical engineering and community-centered solutions, including designing and installing solar, wind, and hybrid energy systems for off-grid applications. She is also the founder of Hatun Pani, Hatun Turi, an initiative that provides educational support to Indigenous communities in the Andes. At the Energy Justice Clinic, Leonela is interested in developing engineering-focused projects for future implementation in Chile and other parts of the Global South.

Karla Lopez is a ‘27 from Houston, Texas and is studying Environmental Studies and Economics. She is interested in the issues of acute and chronic energy insecurity after witnessing the stress imposed on low–income communities from power grid failures. At the Clinic, Karla supports the Chile case and is passionate about continuing this work alongside Mapuche communities.

Arshi is a '27 from North Carolina, currently pursuing a double major in Quantitative Social Sciences and Geography. Arshi's interest in climate and energy research is driven by my desire to help ensure a responsible energy transition, one that works to address historical harms. Arshi joined the Clinic in March of 2024 and is currently assisting with community-based energy research on energy burden in the Upper Valley. 

Harper Richardson is a '27 from Chapel Hill, North Carolina and Irvine, California. She is studying History and Environmental Studies, and has been involved with the EJC since her freshman spring. She first engaged with the Culvert Crawlers Project, mapping and assessing culverts in Hartford, Vermont. In Summer 2025, Harper was an EJC Community Resilience Fellow and hosted River Fest to connect the Dartmouth community to local waterways. Her most recent research is the Climate Litigation Project, which she has worked on from Fall 2024 to Spring 2026.

Aidan Silvestro is a '27 from Monroe, Connecticut. Interested in the intersection of climate, energy, and international security, Aidan is pursuing an Earth Science, Russian, and International Studies degree. As a photographer and journalist, Aidan has created the clinic website and has been working to document the clinic’s work. Aidan is currently assisting and documenting energy research on the energy burden in the Upper Valley.

Raised in Portland, Oregon, Ben Stevenson '27 grew up fighting for bold climate policies at the local and state level. Whether advocating for more climate justice curriculum at Dartmouth or working on federal policy in D.C. over the summer, Ben is passionate about realizing a just energy transition.mBen first joined the Clinic through Dr. Boke’s Environmental Justice course, where he was grateful to support COVER Home Repair’s energy justice work in the Upper Valley. 

Sahil Gandhi is a ’29 from Staten Island, New York. He is studying Government, Environmental Studies, and International Studies, and is interested in global climate policy and environmental justice. He first joined the EJC in Winter 2026 and, as part of the Clinic, has been tracking energy bills in the New Hampshire state legislature and learning about community solar. Outside of the Clinic, Sahil is a news staff writer for The Dartmouth and often covers state climate and energy news.

Ariana Thornton is a ‘29 from Gaithersburg, MD, who plans to major in Cognitive Science of Design. While working as a multimedia research assistant at the Clinic, she helps manage the website and assists with photography and graphic design needs. Outside of the Clinic, Ariana has involved herself in the climate space by leading a project with the Sustainability Action Program and participating in the Climate Collaborate Student Advisory Group.