Meet the Fall 2025 GWC Research Assistants
We are excited to welcome 5 Research Assistants to the GWC team this fall!Ìý
Corinne Griffin
Corinne grew up in Orlando, Florida, and found her passion for the environment after she assisted her community in flora rebuilding after hurricanes hit the state of Florida. She attended the University of Florida. She recieved a BA in Environmental Science, with a double minor in Agricultural and Natural Resource Law/Environmental Justice and Policy. She always knew she wanted to go to law school, but found a keen interest in environmental justice through her undergraduate honors thesis, where she wrote about how COVID-19 exacerbated environmental justice concerns across the United States. Through the GWC RA position, she hopes to learn more about public land law, mining law, tribal law, water law, and any environmental issues impacting the West.Ìý
Jake Lehrman
Jake first joined the GWC this past summer as a Research Assistant, where he focused on researching the public’s right to access waterways in Colorado and the broader Mountain West region.ÌýHis work explored the legal, historical, and policy dimensions of public access, contributing to ongoing conversations about how to balance recreationÌýand private property interests. Beyond his research, Jake volunteered at the 45th Annual Colorado Law Conference on Natural Resources, Turning Hindsight into Foresight: The Colorado River at a Crossroads, where he had the opportunity to learn about the complex issues surrounding the Colorado River's management. He also had the opportunity to offer a window into the Colorado Law student experience through writing blog posts on behalf of the GWC.ÌýNow continuing his work as a Research Assistant, Jake is excited to delve even deeper into the evolving landscape of public access rights to Colorado’s waters.
Tori Matson
Tori first connected with GWC after receiving the 2024 Harrison Fellowship for her 1L summer which allowed her to intern at the Legal Resources Centre, an environmental nonprofit organization in Durban, South Africa. In the Fall of 2024, she continued her involvement with the GWC through volunteering at GWC events including the Martz Symposium and Ruth Wright Lecture, where she wrote blog post summaries. She also helped plan and execute the "Effect of Executive Orders" event panel with GWC RA Catie Pursifull, which they also wrote a blog summary for. As a Spring 2025 Research Assistant, she contributed to GWC projects on pertinent public lands issues such as the nondelegation doctrine. She looks forward to continuing to support GWC's research and programming this upcoming year!
Lex Padilla
Lex is a second-year law student at the University of Colorado, originally from Phoenix, AZ, with a focus on toxic torts and environmental justice. She earned her B.A. in Political Science from the University of San Diego, where she also studied environmental science and conducted chemical research.ÌýGrowing up amid drought and air pollution in Phoenix and studying near sites of environmental injustice such as Barrio Logan, CA and the Tijuana Sewage Crisis, shaped her commitment to advancing equity through environmental law.
Catie Pursifull
Catie is a Research Assistant in the Getches Wilkinson Center, researching under Director Chris Winter. She is currently looking into the expansion of renewable energy on federal public lands and the level of the government's compliance with their requirements of tribal consultation on tribal ancestral lands. This topic is especially interesting to her given her previous experience working with renewable energy developers, and she is excited to learn more about how/if developers can meaningfully and equitably engage in the consultation process with tribes.
In the past year, Catie planned an event with the GWC to debrief several environmental Executive Orders passed in the beginning of President Trump's second term and attended several of her acquaintances' events that the GWC has helped promote and sponsor. In this next year, Catie is excited to keep contributing to the events that the GWC puts on that bring the Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØLaw environmental community together, discussing the most pertinent environmental topics of the day. Catie will continue working in renewable energy transactions after graduation.Ìý
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