The Hubbell Gift

The Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative (HELI) is generating opportunities for the College of Law to deepen and broaden its engagement with environmental issues in Iowa and beyond. 

HELI was created by the vision and generosity of Law Alumni Charlotte Beyer Hubbell (76JD) and Fred Hubbell (76JD) who committed the gift to establish this program. The gift, which is the largest in Iowa Law history, is intended to create an active forum for interdisciplinary engagement on important environmental issues, support law students and curriculum, and ultimately strengthen the environmental law bar in Iowa.

HELI's Strategic Focus Areas

The HELI team focuses on efforts and programs that build upon successes in the following areas: 

Supporting and Expanding Student Experiences

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HELI expands experiential opportunities for future environmental leaders

Friday, May 16, 2025
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Iowa Law Awards 2025 Hubbell Award for Excellence in Environmental Law

Saturday, May 10, 2025
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Iowa Law Environmental Moot Court Team Advances to Quarterfinals at National Competition

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Continuing the legacy of environmental law

Iowa Law is a proud Constituent Law School of the Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law. 

Learn more about this designation.

Follow HELI on social media:

Upcoming Events and Programming

The Social Impact of AI Roundtable Discussion promotional image

The Social Impact of AI Roundtable Discussion

Friday, April 3, 2026 1:00pm to 4:00pm
Pappajohn Business Building
The Tippie College of Business Social Impact Community and Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative are hosting a workshop connecting researchers and professionals interested in exploring one of today’s most urgent questions: What is the social impact of artificial intelligence—and how can we shape it for good?
Protecting Water, Protecting Community: Short Films & Dialogue on Indigenous Land and Water Defense promotional image

Protecting Water, Protecting Community: Short Films & Dialogue on Indigenous Land and Water Defense

Thursday, April 9, 2026 5:00pm to 7:00pm
Iowa Memorial Union (IMU)

Join us for an evening of short films and community conversation exploring movements to protect water, land, and community.

The program will feature a curated selection of short films highlighting water protection movements in the Midwest, and beyond. Following the screenings, Dakota elder and historian Tim Mentz Sr. and Sikowis Nobiss, a Plains Cree/Saulteaux citizen of the George Gordon First Nation in Saskatchewan and the founder and executive director of the Great Plains Action Society, will...

Who Defends the Defenders? Exploring layers of sovereignty, legitimacy, human rights, and activism in land and environmental protection  promotional image

Who Defends the Defenders? Exploring layers of sovereignty, legitimacy, human rights, and activism in land and environmental protection

Friday, April 10, 2026 12:30pm to 2:00pm
Boyd Law Building

Across the globe, Indigenous people who oppose large-scale development projects face harassment, wrongful arrest and prosecution, and, in some cases, lethal violence. In 2024 alone, more than 150 environmental defenders were reportedly killed in circumstances linked to their work against powerful commercial and government interests. Under international human rights law, many “frontline” defenders, who disproportionately come from poor, Indigenous, and rural communities, are recognized as vital...

In Conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning Science Writer & Journalist Elizabeth Kolbert promotional image

In Conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning Science Writer & Journalist Elizabeth Kolbert

Saturday, April 11, 2026 6:00pm
Voxman Music Building
Join Pulitzer Prize-winning Science Writer & Journalist Elizabeth Kolbert as she shares her most important pieces about climate change and the natural world.

HELI Faculty and Staff

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Jennifer Terry, JD

Title/Position
Director, Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative
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Blake Rupe

Title/Position
Program Director, Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative
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Shannon Roesler

Title/Position
Faculty Director, Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative, Moderator