Allyson Gambardella

Associate Attorney

Allyson primarily supports the SELC Wildlife Program by drafting briefs and public comment letters, and researching legal issues on projects such as protecting Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, home to North Carolina’s largest natural freshwater lake. She has also worked on addressing the environmental harms and public safety hazards of aging dams.    

“In an era of urgent environmental challenges, it’s a privilege to work alongside such brilliant and passionate colleagues in pursuit of solutions,” Allyson said. “The Southeast has breathtaking biodiversity: for example, our rivers and streams support over 90 percent of the mussel species in the U.S., as well as over 75 percent of the freshwater fish species and over 50 percent of the freshwater turtle species in the U.S. and Canada. As a lifelong nature lover, I have always been amazed by the intricacy of species interactions and the complex role that ecosystems play in supporting human communities and sustaining environmental health. I am proud to be part of the Wildlife Program’s work.”      

When Allyson considers where in SELC’s region is special to her, it’s “not so much one place in particular, as much as the breadth of incredible wildlife interactions I’ve had, from the everyday joy of watching an Eastern bluebird fly across a local walking trail to the extraordinary experience of witnessing newly hatched sea turtles crawl towards the ocean.” 

• J.D., Harvard Law School; article editor, Harvard Environmental Law Review
• B.A., The University of Chicago