GWEN
KEYES FLEMING

Gwen Keyes Fleming is an attorney and educator from New Jersey who received her Bachelor of Science in Finance from Rutgers University and a Juris Doctor from Emory University. Her law practice advises clients on all aspects of environmental policy development.

She was twice elected District Attorney in DeKalb County, Georgia, becoming the first African American woman to serve in that role. She went on to serve as Principal Legal Advisor for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Chief of Staff at the Environmental Protection Agency during the Obama administration.

Gwen and other appointees worked tirelessly to advance the agency's mission to protect public health and the environment. She has a firm grasp on both the policy-making decisions performed at headquarters and how best to implement those policies in the regions, alongside state, local, tribal, and community leaders.

Gwen explains that in order for the EPA to work in a way that provides national consistency, it must also recognize the uniqueness of each of its ten regions and remain true to its traditional guideposts: follow the science, follow the law, and offer transparency in its decision-making.

In 2024, Gwen received the Dedication to Diversity and Justice Award from the American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy and Resources, recognizing her continued leadership in environmental justice and legal excellence.

Currently serving as a partner at DLA Piper in Washington, DC, she combines her extensive trial experience from her 17-year career as a prosecutor with her deep understanding of environmental law to advise clients on complex litigation and regulatory matters. Her practice focuses particularly on emerging contaminants including PFAS and ethylene oxide, as well as environmental justice issues affecting fence-line communities.

Throughout 2024 and into 2025, Gwen has remained an active voice in environmental policy, contributing regularly to publications on topics ranging from PFAS regulations to climate-related financial disclosures. She also advises clients on environment, social, and governance (ESG) matters and the impacts of climate change on business operations, drawing on her more than twenty years of public sector experience at the federal, state, and local levels.