Svitlana Kravchenko
(1949-2012)
Founder of EPL
Professor Svitlana Kravchenko is the founder of the organization, the Teacher and ideological inspirer of EPL team who raised several generations of environmental lawyers and activists who protect and cherish the environment in Ukraine and worldwide. Professor Kravchenko had taught environmental law in Ukraine for over 25 years. She has international reputation for both her academic work and her practical legal work. In recent years she specialized in public participation in environmental decision making, access to environmental information and access to justice, biodiversity preservation, climate change, interrelation of human rights and environmental protection. She taught Human Rights and the Environment and International Environmental Law at the University of Oregon School of Law (USA) and was the director of the Oregon LL.M. (Master of Law) Program in Environmental and Natural Resources Law. Until her last days Svitlana Kravchenko was a Vice-chair of the Compliance Committee of the Aarhus Convention, member of IUCN, Regional Governor for Eastern Europe at International Council of Environmental Law.
John Bonine
Chairs of the Executive Board
Professor John Bonine has worked with EPL in one capacity or another for nearly 20 years. He is the co-founder of the Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (ELAW), a global network of public interest lawyers protecting home-country environments. John Bonine has been a Professor at the University of Oregon for over 35 years, where he teaches Human Rights and the Environment (based on the book that EPL Founder, Dr. Professor Svitlana Kravchenko, and he published), Comparative Environmental Law, Pollution Law, Constitutional Law, and Administrative Law. He is also the Director of the Oregon LL.M. Program (Master of Laws) in Environmental and Natural Resources Law. Before joining the university, he was Associate General Counsel at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C.
Olena Kravchenko
Executive director, member of EPL Executive Board, Chief – editor of Environment. People. Law Journal
Olena has been working at EPL since 2005 as the chief editor and since 2009 as the executive director. She performs operational administration of the organization and continues to work as the Chief – editor of EPL Journal. Environment. People. Law Journal is one of the first official environmental and legal editions in Ukraine. The purpose of the Journal is to promote development of protected areas and environmental protection, to promote development of science and education, to raise awareness of the population in the environmental and legal sphere.
Hanna Khomechko
Development director
Hanna has been working at EPL since 2008. She is responsible for ensuring financial stability and strategic development of the organization. As a project manager, Hanna coordinates the process of applying for funding, implementation of projects and reporting on EPL’s work.
Iryna Vasylakiy
Chief accountant
She worked as a cashier, accountant, economist-financier and chief accountant. Since 1993 she has been working as a chief accountant of the law firm “Lohush, Borsuk, Brofman and Kalyshevych”. She has been working at EPL since 1995 as the chief accountant.
Olha Malen-Zabramna
Head of legal department
Olha came to EPL in 2001 as a volunteer and then started working as a lawyer’s assistant. Since 2002 she had been working as a lawyer, since the mid of 2005 she has been the head of the legal department. In 2009 she received Master’s degree in environmental law at the University of Nottingham (Great Britain). In October 2009 Olha rejoined EPL’s team and at present she holds the position of the head of legal department. She provides legal consultations, represents interests of citizens in courts, bodies of public authority and local self-governance, manages the work of the legal department of EPL.
Yelyzaveta Alekseyeva
Senior lawyer, Head of information and analytical department
Yelyzaveta started working at EPL as a volunteer in 1998. In 2003 she participated in EPL Clinical Program for law students. Since 2005 she worked as a lawyer and in 2007-08 worked as a senior lawyer. In 2009 Yelyzaveta pursued an LL.M in Environmental and Natural Resources Law at the University of Oregon School of Law (USA). In October of 2009 Yelyzaveta rejoined EPL’s team and since then serves as a senior lawyer and specializes in the issues of Ukraine’s implementation of international agreements on environmental protection and European human rights standards. Since October 2012, Yelyzaveta has been leading EPL’s Information and analytical department. She provides legal consultations, represents citizens’ and NGOs’ interests in courts and bodies of public authority and self-governance, writes articles for Environment. People. Law Journal and participates in writing compendiums and other publications that EPL produces, coordinates activities of information and analytical department.
Taras Zhyravetsky
Senior lawyer
Taras is an assistant professor at the Department of Labour, Agrarian and Environmental Law of the Law Faculty at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv.
He has been working at EPL since October 2008 as a senior lawyer and supervisor of the legal clinic program. Taras provides legal consultations, represents interests of citizens and NGOs in court, public authority bodies and bodies of local self-governance, writes articles for EPL Journal, and deals with land issues in the context of environmental protection.
Sophia Shutiak
Lawyer of the 1st category
Sophia came to EPL in 1999 as a volunteer. Since 2000 she had worked as a lawyer’s assistant. In 2002-2003, Sophia worked as a lawyer and was a co-editor of EPL Journal. In December 2013, Sophia returned to EPL and works as a lawyer of the 1st category specializing in the issues of protecting natural reserves, nuclear safety, protection of water objects from pollution and violation of their hydrological and hydrogeological regimes, prevention of damage to flora and fauna habitats, forest protection. She provides legal consultations, represents citizens’ and NGOs’ interests in courts and bodies of public authority and self-governance, writes articles for Environment. People. Law Journal and participates in writing compendiums and other publications that EPL produces.
Natalia Horodetska
Lawyer of the 1st category
She started her work at EPL in 2007 as an office-manager, in 2008 she received the position of a lawyer, and in 2010 became the lawyer of the 1st category. Natalia specializes in climate change, protection of animals from cruel treatment, protection of green zones in cities, prevention of violation of hydrological and hydrogeological regimes of water objects, protection of flora and fauna habitats, forest protection, public control over compliance with national and international legislation on biodiversity protection, compliance with norms and standards on air protection by enterprises that are air polluters, prevention of air pollution during territory planning activities and construction works. Her responsibilities include legal counseling, representation of interests of citizens and NGOs in front of public authorities and local self-governance, writing articles for EPL Journal, participation in writing compendiums and other publications that EPL produces.
Nazar Shparyk
Lawyer
Assistant professor of labour, agrarian and environmental law at the Law Faculty of Ivan Franko Lviv National University. Started his work at EPL in April 2016 at the position of a lawyer and director of the clinical program.
In 2012-2015 was a full-time post-graduate student at the department of labour, agrarian and environmental law at the Law Faculty of Ivan Franko Lviv National University. He wrote a dissertation thesis in specialty 12.00.06. (agrarian, land, environmental law and law of natural resources) and entitled “ International legal acts as sources of Ukrainian environmental law”.
The spheres of personal and professional interests: international environmental law, impact of international agreements in the sphere of environmental protection and environmental legislation of Ukraine, approximation of Ukrainian environmental legislation to EU directives, land law, municipal construction law, agricultural lands.
Marta Pankevych
Lawyer
Marta started her work at EPL in 2010 as a participant of the Clinical program for law students. In October 2011 she joined EPL team and worked as a lawyer’s assistant. In January 2013 Marta was promoted to lawyer’s position and she specializes in access to environmental information, protection of air from adverse factors, waste management, protection of water objects from pollution and violation of their hydrological and hydrogeological regimes, protection of flora and fauna habitats, forest protection. Her duties include legal counseling, representation of interests of citizens and NGOs in court, in front of public authorities and local self-governance bodies, writing articles for Environment. People. Law Journal, participation in writing compendiums and other publications that EPL produces.
Nataliia Kuts
Lawyer
Nataliia first came to EPL in 2012 as a volunteer. Since August 2012 she worked as a lawyer’s assistant, and since January 2015 she has been working as a lawyer specializing in climate change, animal protection from cruel treatment, protection of green zones, nuclear safety. Her duties include legal counseling, representation of interests of citizens and NGOs in court, in front of public authorities and local self-governance bodies, writing articles for Environment. People. Law Journal, participation in writing compendiums and other publications that EPL produces.
Alla Voytsikhovska
environmental scientist of the 1st category
Alla is an Associate professor at the Chair of Environmental Safety and Nature Protection at the National University “Lviv Polytechnics”.
She started her work at EPL in September 2014 as an environmental scientist of the 1st category. Her responsibilities include counseling citizens on environmental issues, researching impact of anthropogenic factors on the environment, scientific assistance to lawyers in handling EPL court cases, writing articles for Environment. People. Law Journal, participation in writing compendiums and other publications that EPL produces.
Oleksiy Vasyliuk
environmental scientist
In September 2014, Oleksiy started his work at EPL on the position of environmental scientist specializing in the issues of protection of natural reserves, protection of water objects from pollution, excessive use and violation of hydrological and hydrogeological regimes of water objects, damage to flora and fauna, development of volunteer movement, environmental awareness, impact of military actions on the environment. His responsibilities include counseling citizens on issues of environmental protection, research of anthropogenic factors on the environment, scientific assistance to lawyers in handling EPL court cases, writing articles for Environment. People. Law Journal, participation in writing compendiums and other publications that EPL produces.
Petro Testov
environmental scientist
In September 2014, Petro started his work at EPL on the position of environmental scientist specializing in the issues of protection of natural reserves, protection of water objects from pollution, excessive use and violation of hydrological and hydrogeological regimes of water objects, damage to flora and fauna, development of volunteer movement, environmental awareness, forest protection, preservation of green zones in cities. His responsibilities include counseling citizens on issues of environmental protection, research of impact of anthropogenic factors on the environment, scientific assistance to lawyers in handling EPL court cases, writing articles for Environment. People. Law Journal, participation in writing compendiums and other publications that EPL produces.
Kateryna Norenko
environmental scientist
In September 2014, Kateryna started her work at EPL on the position of office-manager and since March 2015 she has been working on the position of environmental scientist specializing in the issues of protection of green zones on cities, impact of military actions on the environment, protection of natural reserves. Also, Kateryna is in charge of making Kyiv office of EPL “green”. Since September 2014, Kateryna has been a post-graduate student at the Chair of Environmental Protection at the National University “Kyiv Mohyla Academy” and successfully combines scientific and practical activities. Her responsibilities include counseling citizens on issues of environmental protection, research of impact of anthropogenic factors on the environment, scientific assistance to lawyers in handling EPL court cases, writing articles for Environment. People. Law Journal, participation in writing compendiums and other publications that EPL produces.
Maryana Balahush
manager
Maryana has been working at EPL since 2010 first as a volunteer and then as an office-manager. Since 2013 she has been occupying the position of a manager. Her responsibilities include organization of the work of the office, registration of office documentation, help in organizing seminars, conferences and other events, managing EPL web-site and sites in social media, daily collection and dissemination of environmental and environmental law information, dissemination of information about the organization’s functioning. Maryana takes care of ensuring friendly atmosphere in the EPL team.
Yaroslav Ivanusa
IT manager
Yaroslav started working in EPL in 2009. He administers computer networks, installs software and manages its functioning, instructs EPL staff on using modern information technology products. New information technologies make EPL’s work easier and improve working process.
Serhiy Syrovatka
PR manager
Serhiy started working at EPL in 2014. His responsibilities include coordination of EPL’s public relations with the press and authorities, development and realization of information strategy of EPL’s work with the public, press and authorities, organization of press-conferences, meetings with the public and authorities, organization of media appearances of EPL staff and administration, control of media materials for adequacy of information released by EPL, ensuring communication with relevant departments of ministries and other executive authorities regarding information exchange.