Please join us in welcoming our two legal interns: Steve Kelly and Katharine Richter. Steve and Katharine are excited to meet everyone and begin working with our members and supporters, so please say hello when you see them in the community.
Steve is a Pittsburgh native and grew up in the eastern suburb of Murrysville. He received his bachelor degree in economics from Duquesne University in 2013 and then worked at Bank of New York Mellon for a year before deciding to go back to school to pursue a law degree. Currently, he is a 3L at the University of Cincinnati College of Law with intentions of practicing law in Pennsylvania upon graduation. He is very excited to be a part of the CCJ team this summer and looks forward to helping promote community education and awareness, as well as assisting in CCJ’s advocacy and litigation. Steve is most interested in taking in as much information as possible and learning all that he can about the most pressing environmental issues affecting southwestern Pennsylvania. Also, he is thrilled to expand his professional network and have the opportunity to meet and talk with others that work in the field gaining a new perspective regarding current laws, regulations, and environmental policies surrounding coal mining practices in Pennsylvania. Outside of work Steve’s hobbies and interests include running, hiking, cooking, traveling, and generally experiencing new things.
Katharine was born in Ontario, Canada and became an American citizen back in 2003. Most of her childhood she lived outside Philadelphia, but also spent a year in England. In 2011, she graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a political science degree. In 2014, Katharine started law school and is currently a 3L at Pennsylvania State University. Growing up on a hobby farm raised her awareness of the need for clean water, air, and soil leading to her legal interest in environmental and agriculture issues. Her favorite animal on the farm was a miniature pygmy goat named Pegasus. He was just 3 weeks old when she received him and in poor condition and had to bottle feed him for weeks to nurse him back to health. Katharine is excited to be a part of the CCJ team and to learn more about the environmental issues affecting southwestern Pennsylvania in order to assist with solutions.
