Elise Longley

University of michigan - law

Elise Longley is a second-year law student at the University of Michigan. Originally from Minnesota, Elise grew up cross-country skiing and camping alongside Lake Superior and paddling and portaging through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. When proposals for sulfide-ore copper mining in Northern Minnesota garnered support from economically depressed communities in the region, Elise began to consider how economic justice might be incorporated into land conservation to strengthen protections. She explored that question while pursuing a bachelor’s in economics from Northern Michigan University. In law school, Elise serves as an executive editor for the Michigan Journal of Environmental and Administrative Law. She is a member of the Michigan Climate Venture, a student-run investment fund supporting climate tech startups in the Great Lakes region. She spent a summer interning at Great Rivers Environmental Law Center in Missouri and is currently interning with the US Department of Justice's Environment and Natural Resources Division. After graduating, Elise aims to use her law degree to advance land conservation in Minnesota and throughout the country.