C. Scott Fulton

Scott Fulton, President
Visiting Scholar

From 2015 through 2021, Scott Fulton served as ELI’s fifth President. Thereafter, from 2022-23, he served as ELI’s President Emeritus and International Envoy. Prior to his time with ELI, Mr. Fulton was a Principal at the environmental law firm Beveridge & Diamond, P.C., and served in a number of high ranking positions at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in both Republican and Democratic Administrations. These included EPA’s Deputy Administrator (second in command, by Presidential Designation), General Counsel (via Senate Confirmation), head of EPA’s Office of International Affairs, Judge on the Environmental Appeals Board, and head of the Agency’s enforcement program. He also previously served as Assistant Chief of the Environmental Enforcement Section of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Environment and Natural Resources Division. An international expert on environmental governance and rule of law, he has served as a member of the United Nations Advisory Council on Environmental Justice, has taught International Environmental Governance as an adjunct professor at George Washington School of Law, serves on the Steering Committee of Climate Crisis Commission established by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, and serves as well on a number of NGO boards. He has played a pivotal role in the development of U.S. environmental law and policy through his various roles; has been a leader in identifying legal tools for enhancing environmental quality in historically underserved communities; and has served as a key contributor to the development and implementation of environmental law internationally, providing critical support to, among other things, the formation of the Global Judicial Institute for the Environment – a collaboration of judges around the world dedicated to building judicial capacity for environmental adjudication. He received the two highest awards given by the U.S. government for outstanding leadership—the Presidential Meritorious Executive Service Award, and the Presidential Distinguished Executive Service Award—and has been inducted into the American College of Environmental Lawyers.