Environmental Defense Center Welcomes New Staff Members

Press releases are posted on Independent.com as a free community service.

Santa Barbara – The Environmental Defense Center (EDC) – one of the nation’s longest-running nonprofit environmental law firms working to protect the California coast, natural resources, and the earth’s climate – has added three highly qualified new staff members to its team.

Jeremy Frankel, a Goleta native, has joined the legal team as a Staff Attorney. Matt Campa, who was serving as a Legal Fellow with EDC, is starting in a new position: Staff Attorney/Environmental Justice Program Outreach Coordinator. And Brandi Webber, a long time Santa Barbara resident, has filled the position of Office Manager & Event Coordinator. The new hires support the organization’s long-term goals to defend nature and advance environmental justice on the Central Coast.  

“We are thrilled to add the skills, life experiences, and local ties of these three new staff members to our team,” said Alex Katz, EDC’s Executive Director. “EDC is a small but scrappy group that goes up against some of the most powerful companies and agencies in the world. Our new team members are all passionate about protecting the Central Coast, and they all bring unique skills and perspectives to this fight.” 

Brandi Webber joined EDC in March. She earned a degree in Geography from UCSB and spent more than 16 years as an editor and cartographer at Maps.com before moving on to medical and advertising sales. She has a vast skill set that includes project management, customer service, and event planning, and has been a Santa Barbara community member for more than 25 years.

Jeremy Frankel started as EDC’s new Staff Attorney in April. He earned his law degree at the University of Denver and spent three years clerking for the Colorado Court of Appeals. In law school, Jeremy focused on public lands, natural resources, and environmental law, and he served as the production editor on the Denver Water Law Review. Upon his return to Santa Barbara, Jeremy worked in private practice where he represented public and private clients in all phases of litigation, performed administrative law, and advised clients on land use. He is a member of both the California and Colorado State Bars.

Matt Campa was sworn in as a member of the California Bar in May and started in his new position after serving as a Legal Fellow at EDC for more than a year. Prior to joining EDC, Matt attended Lewis and Clark Law School, where he took first place in the National Environmental Moot Court competition and clerked for Earthrise Law Center and Neighbors for Clean Air. He also worked extensively on wetland preservation in Alaska through section 404 of the Clean Water Act. In recognition of his commitment to conservation, he was selected as Lewis and Clark’s 2022 Wyss Scholarship recipient.

Matt’s position – Staff Attorney/Environmental Justice Program Outreach Coordinator – is new on EDC’s roster. EDC created the position in its recently completed 2024-2028 Strategic Plan, which prioritizes EDC’s continued work on environmental justice on the Central Coast as part of the organization’s core mission.  The position will work closely with communities that have suffered significant harm from pollution and other environmental threats and will help EDC engage with and support those communities and our nonprofit partners working on these issues.

“Our new team members are coming on board at a time when EDC is working on a number of major cases: stopping dangerous oil operations in Santa Barbara County, preventing massive commercial logging projects in the Los Padres National Forest, and helping to expand Marine Protected Areas in the Channel, to name just a few,” said Linda Krop, EDC’s Chief Counsel. “We’re excited for them to help EDC fulfill our mission and serve this community.”

EDC will kick off its summer happy hour series, TGIF!, on Friday, July 12th from 5:30-7:30PM. These events are open to the public and a great opportunity to meet EDC’s staff while enjoying drinks, food, and live music. Tickets are available online.