Elizabeth Cole Vollins
Legal/Administrative Assistant
Based in Chapel Hill, Beth is part of SELC’s Legal Administrative team who support attorneys with ongoing environmental and environmental justice litigation before North Carolina’s Utilities Commission, Office of Administrative Hearings, Superior and Appellate Courts, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Appellate Courts.
She also researches permit data and builds timelines tracking underlying environmental impacts to vulnerable communities. Beth assists in the collection and review of public records and discovery, and coordinates logistics for meetings with staff, partners, and clients.
“SELC fights to protect the communities I love from the environmental impacts I’m most concerned about – from PFAS being discharged into our water from upstream polluters to preservation of our coastal wetlands and forest areas to fighting for North Carolinians to have cleaner energy choices,” Beth says. “I love that our work is intentional and committed to serving the people and communities where we live and work. We really are ‘rooted in the South.’”
To provide hands-on education about watershed protection, Beth serves on the board of a local nonprofit organization dedicated to using outdoor “living classrooms.” She grew up in several southern and midwestern towns, and some of her favorite memories involve swinging on rope swings and turning rocks over in the creek in the woods behind her family’s house in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“I’m so happy to watch my children explore the woods, creeks, and beaches of North Carolina, my adopted home state,” Beth says. “I feel lucky to live in a state that has so many ways to access our natural places. In my free time, you will find me out – hiking, biking, kayaking or paddle-boarding.”
Previous experience
- Paralegal, North Carolina State Bar Certified
- M.A., University of Missouri
- B.A., University of Missouri, cum laude with Honors
- With SELC since 2022