John B. Kassel

John B. Kassel has been President of the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) since 2009. He brings over 25 years of legal and policy experience to the job of leading the premier region-wide environmental problem-solving organization in New England. Prior to joining CLF he was co-founder and co-managing partner of Shems Dunkiel Kassel & Saunders, a mission-driven Vermont-based law firm, and was Secretary of Vermont’s Agency of Natural Resources, a cabinet-level position in the administration of Gov. Howard Dean, after joining the agency previously as its General Counsel. His legal practice includes service as a state criminal prosecutor and commercial litigator; his volunteer experience includes board and other service with many organizations dedicated to community and environmental health. Kassel grew up in Middletown, New York, and has lived in Vermont for over 30 years. He is a graduate of Middlebury College, and received his law degree from Cornell. He and his wife, Julie Campoli, enjoy hiking, backcountry skiing, kayaking and general adventuring throughout New England and beyond, as well as domestic pleasures like gardening and caring for their landscape at home in Vermont.