Speakers

Robert Andrew Branan, JD is an associate Extension professor with the Agriculture and Natural Resources Department, NC State University. Andrew is a legal educator/researcher in agriculture with 20+ years experience working across North Carolina and the Southeast, including private and non-profit law practice concentrating in farm and forest production. He has authored the handbooks Planning the Future of Your Farm and So You Have Inherited a Farm. Andrew graduated from Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia with degrees in Economics and History and earned his juris doctorate from Wake Forest University Law School. 

Mark Botkin serves as general counsel to many closely held businesses, often from their inception. This includes advising on choice of entity and structure as well as providing advice on federal and state taxation issues. Mr. Botkin has substantial experience in estate planning and pension and employee benefits. Having been raised on a farm in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, Mr. Botkin enjoys helping farm families preserve their farmland for future generations through the use of such techniques as conservation easements.

Rob Davidson is an attorney with MPL Law Firm, LLP in Bloomsburg, Columbia County, Pennsylvania. His practice emphasizes real estate transfers, title issues, easements, quiet title action and boundary disputes. He counsels both private and municipal clients in zoning and land use, permitting and public access to records by the Open Record Law. Rob works extensively with farmers and agribusiness on succession and transition planning, permitting, and gas, pipeline and solar leases. Rob previously served as Chief of Land Use and Natural Resources for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, where he worked with the permitting of agricultural facilities, Right to Farm and ACRE laws, and the Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program and served as a member of the State Planning Board. Prior to joining the Department, he worked in zoning, planning and code enforcement for rural local government and as a surveyor and project manager for a civil engineering firm. Rob is a Pennsylvania Resident Title Insurance Agent, Pennsylvania Sewage Enforcement Officer and Pennsylvania licensed Land Surveyor

Amanda Demmerle is a staff attorney at Appalachian Mountain Advocates, where she has practiced environmental law for four years. She represents both environmental organizations and individual plaintiffs in a variety of litigation in both federal and state court, including but not limited to Clean Water Act citizen suits, challenges to federal and state regulatory actions, land use appeals, and class actions. Amanda obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia, her law degree from the WVU College of Law. Before joining AppalMad, she clerked for two federal judges in West Virginia.

John Essman, an assistant vice president and Agricultural Lender, has 13 years of experience in agricultural finance, lending, and sales with Kingston National Bank and previously worked with equipment sales for Evolution Ag in Circleville, Ohio. John is currently a board member on the Pickaway County Community Foundation where he served as Chair of the Agricultural Fund at PCCF and is also a member of the Pickaway Progress Partnership (P3) ag committee. John grew up on his family’s farm near Williamsport, Ohio, and currently owns a show pig operation there. He graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness and Applied Economics.

Jen Friedel is an associate professor of practice in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at Virginia Tech, teaching agriculture law and environmental law. She also serves as the Director of Virginia’s Land Use-Value Assessment Program which provides estimates of the use valuation for agricultural, horticultural, and open space lands within the Commonwealth. As a professor of practice, Jen remains active in the practice of law, particularly in natural resources and environmental law, contracts, and agricultural law. She and her family also run Point Pleasant Angus, a registered Angus seedstock operation in Tennessee and Virginia.

Paul Goeringer is a Principal Faculty Specialist and the Extension Legal Specialist at the University of Maryland. His research and extension program is focused on agricultural leases, energy leases, landowner liability, production contracts, agricultural nuisance issues, environmental law, and estate planning issues impacting agricultural producers in Maryland. Paul graduated from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics. After graduating from OSU, Paul decided to attend law school for some strange reason still unknown to him. He graduated with a Juris Doctorate from some school in Norman, Oklahoma (also known as the University of Oklahoma).  After law school, Paul received an LL.M in Agricultural Law and a Master of Science in Agricultural Economics from the University of Arkansas and is licensed to practice in Oklahoma. 

Anthony G. Gorski is an attorney with The Law Offices of Anthony G. Gorski LLC in Annapolis, Maryland. Tony specializes in environmental, natural resources, and agriculture law. In addition to providing advice on permitting and compliance, he represents clients in trial and appellate litigation in State and federal courts and administrative forums. He has over 33 years of experience representing clients on these issues throughout Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic region. Prior to entering private practice, he served as an Assistant Attorney General representing the Md Department of the Environment in environmental enforcement and permitting litigation and on regulatory matters. He is a member of the MSBA (Environmental Law Section, Past Chair, & Agriculture Law Section, Past Chair). He is an Adjunct Faculty member at Johns Hopkins University, Whiting School of Engineering (1995-Present), teaching courses in Environmental Law and Business Law. Tony obtained a Juris Doctor and a Master of Environmental Law from Vermont Law School (1990) and a Bachelor of Science degree from Frostburg University ( majors: Wildlife & Fisheries Management, minors:  Biology & Chemistry)(1986).

Evan Johns is a senior attorney at Appalachian Mountain Advocates (Appalmad), a nonprofit law and policy organization with offices in West Virginia, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. A native of Buckhannon, West Virginia, Evan received his undergraduate and law degrees from West Virginia University. After law school, he clerked in state trial court under the Honorable Michael John Aloi, before joining Appalmad in 2015. Following stints in Virginia and West Virginia, Evan opened Appalmad’s Pittsburgh office in 2024. His practice focuses on clean water, land use, public utility, and open records litigation across Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Peggy Kirk Hall is the Paul L. Wright Chair of Agricultural Law and Director of Ohio State University’s Agricultural & Resource Law Program. Hall provides research and outreach on legal issues affecting Ohio agriculture, with a focus on land use, water, environmental, and property law. She is a research partner with the National Agricultural Law Center and has taught Agribusiness Law in OSU’s College of Food, Agricultural & Environmental Sciences for 26 years. Hall has served as President of the American Agricultural Law Association (AALA) and Chair of the Ohio State Bar Association Agricultural Law Committee. She has received the Distinguished Extension Faculty award from her college, AALA’s Excellence in Agricultural Law Award and Distinguished Service Award, and the National Association of County Agricultural Agents’ Distinguished Service Award. Hall holds B.S. (1986) and M.S. (1990) degrees in natural resource policy from OSU and a Juris Doctor from the University of Wyoming College of Law (1994),where she was on the Land & Water Law Review editorial board.

Tom Kloehn is a staff attorney in Appalmad’s Pittsburgh office. After graduating from Princeton University and the University of Michigan Law School, Tom clerked for Chief Justice Peter J. Maassen of the Alaska Supreme Court. He then joined Appalmad in 2025, where he has practiced across a variety of procedural settings including local land use hearings, permit appeals, and state and federal litigation on issues ranging from water pollution to data center development.

Robert Moore is an attorney and research specialist with the Agricultural & Resource Law Program at The Ohio State University. His areas of focus are farm succession planning, business entities, and taxation, and he also serves as a mediator with the Ohio Farm Resolution Services agricultural mediation program. Robert grew up on a dairy farm in Coshocton County, Ohio, and attended The Ohio State University, receiving a B.S. in Dairy Science and an M.S. in Agricultural Economics. He began his career as a county Extension educator with Ohio State University Extension and a specialist in farm budgeting, custom rate surveys, and farm management. Robert then attended law school and earned his J.D. from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, where he graduated cum laude. Robert and his wife Kelly owned and practiced at Wright & Moore Law Co. LPA, a law firm in Delaware, Ohio focused on legal services for farmers and landowners. Robert left private practice to rejoin OSU in 2022.

Jake Parker is North Carolina Farm Bureau’s secretary and general counsel, the chief legal officer for North Carolina’s largest general farm advocacy organization and the North Carolina Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company. During his career at Farm Bureau, Jake has served as the organization’s state legislative counsel and its national legislative director. In these roles, Jake helped shape various state and federal laws, including North Carolina’s right-to-farm statute. Jake holds an undergraduate degree from Appalachian State University, earned his law degree from North Carolina Central University’s evening law program, and clerked for two years at the North Carolina Supreme Court. In addition to his Farm Bureau work, Jake serves as Chair of the North Carolina Rules Review Commission, a member of the North Carolina Equal Access to Justice Commission, and a board member (and unofficial general counsel) for his daughter’s youth soccer club.

Faith Parum is originally from Big Spring, Texas, where she was actively involved in agriculture through 4-H and FFA. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics from Texas A&M University in 2020, followed by a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from the same institution. Her doctoral research focused on evaluating the impacts of public policy using machine learning techniques. Before joining the American Farm Bureau Federation as an economist, Faith worked in the Office of Trade at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, where she supported regulatory and trade policy analysis.

Jesse J. Richardson, Jr. is the Hal J. and Roscoe P. Posten Professor of Law and the Lead Land Use Attorney at the Land Use and Sustainable Development Law Clinic at the West Virginia University College of Law. Before coming to WVU, Professor Richardson was an Associate Professor in Urban Affairs and Planning at Virginia Tech. He holds a B.S. and M.S. in Agricultural and Applied Economics from Virginia Tech and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. He began his legal career in private practice in his hometown of Winchester, Virginia. His research and experience focus on energy law, agricultural law, land use law, and water law. Professor Richardson previously served on the Board Directors of the American Agricultural Law Association (AALA), including stints as President-Elect and President of that organization.

Brigit Rollins is a staff attorney with the National Agricultural Law Center. She focuses on environmental law and its impacts to agriculture and has worked on a variety of topics, including issues related to the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, and pesticide regulation. She attended Lewis & Clark Law School in Oregon, and has been working for NALC since 2019

Kin Sayre concentrates his practice in the areas of tax, commercial and finance law, municipal law, government relations, real estate, gaming and hospitality and small business development, representing businesses and individuals throughout the quad-state region. Kin is also a certified public accountant. Kin has been recognized by his colleagues in West Virginia as Best Lawyers in America's Lawyer of the Year for Controversy and Litigation – Tax four times (2022, 2020, 2016, and 2012). Kin also is recognized as a leader in matters before the West Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control Administration and West Virginia Lottery Commission, including compliance and licensing. Kin currently serves as the city attorney for Martinsburg, West Virginia, and is a member of the West Virginia Home Rule Board. He is a former staff attorney for the West Virginia State Tax Department.

Carolyn M.H. Sullivan is an attorney on Varnum’s Employee Benefits and Labor Employment Practice Teams. Her practice focuses on advising employers on compliance with employee benefits laws, as well as federal and state labor and employment laws and other workplace matters. Carolyn counsels employers on qualified and nonqualified retirement plans, including 401(k) plans, defined benefit plans, and employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs). She advises on deferred compensation arrangements, executive compensation matters, and compliance with Internal Revenue Code Section 409A.Carolyn also assists employers with health and welfare plan design issues, including high deductible health plans, health savings accounts, and related benefit arrangements. In her labor and employment practice, Carolyn advises on employee handbooks and policies, discrimination and ADA compliance, workplace complaints and investigations, MIOSHA matters, and wage-hour issues. She litigates and defends employers in federal and state courts, as well as before administrative agencies, including unemployment and EEOC matters. In addition to her client work, Carolyn is a frequent contributor to employee benefits, labor and employment industry publications.

Audry Thompson is a staff attorney with the Penn State Dickinson Law Center for Agricultural and Shale Law (CASL) where she serves as the managing editor for the Agricultural Law Weekly Review, supervises and mentors law students in the Rural Economic Development Clinic, and directs educational programming for CASL’s Understanding Agricultural Law educational series and CLE programs. She also serves as CASL’s lead agricultural labor consulting attorney and agricultural law education program director for AgWorks, an agricultural labor-focused educational and consulting human resources grant project between CASL, Penn State Extension, and the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor. Her research explores agricultural labor topics, food labeling and Commerce Clause issues, and state regulation of agricultural practices. Audry is also a Ph.D. candidate in Penn State’s College of Education, and her forthcoming dissertation will examine clinical legal education. Audry holds a Juris Doctor from Penn State Dickinson Law and is a licensed attorney in Pennsylvania.

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