The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University has announced the appointment of several prominent environmental law scholars as Haub Visiting Scholars for 2026. These appointments are part of an initiative funded by a gift from the Haub family, aimed at supporting interdisciplinary work in environmental policy and law.
Achinthi C. Vithanage, Executive Director of the Environmental Law Program and Professor of Law for Designated Service in Environmental Law, said, “Our Haub Visiting Scholars program offer students and faculty an opportunity to engage directly with leading voices in environmental law. Their scholarship, teaching, and mentorship enrich the classroom experience and advance innovative thinking across our program. We are fortunate that Randy, Marianne, Doug, and Jim are willing to give so much of their time to our Pace Haub Law community.”
Randall S. Abate will join as a Haub Visiting Scholar during the spring 2026 semester. He brings international expertise in climate change law and justice. Abate is currently a Research Associate and Special Advisor for Law and Justice at Ocean Nexus and a Visiting Scholar at the Environmental Law Institute. In addition to his role at Pace Haub Law, he will teach courses related to environmental, food, and animal law at one law school and two universities during spring 2026. His previous positions include Assistant Dean for Environmental Law Studies at George Washington University Law School as well as teaching roles at six U.S. law schools and one university abroad. Abate has lectured in over 25 countries on six continents and authored six books along with more than 40 articles or book chapters. His upcoming book is titled “Climate Change and the Voiceless: Protecting Future Generations, Wildlife, and Natural Resources” (2nd edition forthcoming 2026). While at Pace Haub Law, he will serve as guest lecturer, participate as a symposium panelist, deliver two book talks, engage with faculty and students, take part in the annual Pace-Maryland Colloquium, and act as a judge in The Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition.
Marianne Engelman-Lado will also serve as a Haub Visiting Scholar in 2026. She plans to deliver a faculty workshop, visit classes as a guest lecturer, and interact with the school community. Engelman-Lado’s career focuses on civil rights and environmental justice. She recently joined New York University School of Law as Research Scholar and Director of its new Environmental Justice Initiative. During the Biden Administration she served as Deputy General Counsel for Environmental Initiatives in the Office of General Counsel and Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator in the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights at the Environmental Protection Agency. Her prior roles include directing clinics at Yale and Vermont law schools focused on environmental justice; lecturing at Yale University’s School of Public Health; serving as senior staff attorney at Earthjustice; acting as General Counsel for New York Lawyers for the Public Interest; and starting her legal career with NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
Douglas Kysar is scheduled to visit during spring 2026 as well. He is Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law at Yale Law School where he directs the Law, Environment & Animals Program. His areas of teaching include torts, animal law, climate change regulation among others. Kysar previously taught at Cornell Law School; he has held visiting professorships across institutions such as NYU, UCLA, Harvard—and internationally—in Singapore, Hong Kong, London,and Spain.He will deliver the Lloyd K.Garrison Lecture on Environmental Law in April 2026 while also engaging with students,fellow faculty,and participating in key events like the annual Pace-Maryland Colloquium.
James Salzman will join during fall 2026.He holds joint appointments as Donald Bren Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law at UCLA School of Law,and Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at UC Santa Barbara.Salzman has written thirteen books alongside more than one hundred articles.His research covers topics such as drinking water policy design,and ecosystem services markets.He has delivered lectures globally including visits to Columbia,Yale,and Stanford among others.During his time with Pace HaubLaw he will presentthe 2027 Lloyd K.Garrison LectureonEnvironmentalLaw.
The participation by these scholars aims to strengthen academic programming through direct interaction with students,fostering discussion on contemporary issues facing environmental policy,making useof expertise developed both domesticallyand internationally.
