Hoagland named director of law school’s Virginia Coastal Policy Clinic
William & Mary Law School yesterday announced the appointment of Roy A. Hoagland as a visiting professor of practice and director of the Law School’s Virginia Coastal Policy Clinic.
Hoagland is the former vice president of environmental protection and restoration for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. He previously served as both the deputy director and the executive director for the Virginia office of the foundation. He is currently a principal in HOPE Impacts, LLC, an environmental consulting firm working exclusively with nonprofits and government agencies.
“William & Mary Law School is extremely fortunate to welcome someone of Roy Hoagland’s caliber to head up our Coastal Policy Clinic," said Davison M. Douglas, dean of the Law School and Arthur B. Hanson Professor of Law. “Roy’s understanding of both science and the law, and his impeccable leadership skills, will help Virginia and the nation tackle the many interrelated problems associated with recurrent flooding, storm surges, environmental degradation, and sea level rise.”
Hoagland’s experience in environmental law is extensive, having worked on land use, water quality, and restoration matters across the Chesapeake Bay watershed for more than 25 years. During his years with the Bay Foundation, Hoagland led much of its work on numerous regulatory, legislative, litigation, and on-the-ground restoration initiatives. His leadership efforts yielded the creation of a Bay-specific fund for farmers under the federal Farm Bill; the implementation of oyster aquaculture and reef construction programs; the adoption of a state water quality fund that finances local government pollution control projects; and a host of advances in Virginia’s water protection laws.
Hoagland is also a former adjunct professor with both the University of Virginia and University of Richmond law schools. At UVA, he directed the Environmental and Conservation Law clinic.
Patricia Roberts, clinical professor of law and director of clinical programs for William & Mary Law School, said, “Roy’s expertise, along with his energy and enthusiasm, will enhance the clinic’s commitments to the development of citizen lawyers in the field of environmental law and policy, as well as the provision of science-based legal and policy analysis of the challenges facing our coastlines.”
Of Hoagland’s appointment, Carlton Hershner, director of the Center for Coastal Resources Management at William & Mary's Virginia Institute of Marine Science, said, “We are thrilled that Roy will be partnering with us by leading the Virginia Coastal Policy Clinic. He is uniquely qualified for the position and brings to the clinic and the Hampton Roads community a wealth of experience along with a true passion for coastal policy work.”
Former Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources W. Tayloe Murphy, Jr. added, “Roy is among the most capable and talented lawyers I have ever worked with. But not only does he have a keen analytical mind and thorough knowledge of the law, he also has a profound commitment to finding win-win solutions to natural resource challenges.”
The Virginia Coastal Policy Clinic provides science-based legal and policy analysis of environmental and land use issues affecting the state's coastal resources and educates the Virginia policymaking, non-profit, legal, military and business communities about these subjects. Working in partnership with Virginia scientists, particularly at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, law students in the clinic integrate the latest science with legal and policy analysis to solve coastal resource management issues. The clinic's pedagogical goals are grounded in the law school's philosophy of the citizen lawyer.
“The Virginia Coastal Policy Clinic is a uniquely Virginia institution,” noted Hoagland. “It is housed in the nation’s oldest law school, has a world renowned leader in marine science as its partner, and provides local and state decision makers with expertise and resources toward solving 21st-century legal and policy dilemmas. How can that not excite a lawyer/conservationist?”
Hoagland holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Dickinson College and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Maryland School of Law. He serves on the boards of several nonprofits, including the Chesapeake Stormwater Network, Sustainable Chesapeake and the VA League of Conservation Voters.
Hoagland replaces Shana Jones, founder and former director of the clinic, who has assumed a new position as a public service assistant at the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia. Jones and post-graduate fellow Mary-Carson Saunders will work with the new director through the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition on the numerous exciting projects on which they have been working, including planning of the second conference funded by the Virginia Environmental Endowment and focused on flooding and coastal change for state and local leaders.
“We are grateful to Shana for her vision and expertise in creating the clinic, and are delighted that she and Mary-Carson will continue to be a part of the clinic’s work in the coming months,” Roberts said.
