Sami Harrell

Associate Attorney

Sami finds answers to research questions, examines ways to address environmental harms in overburdened communities, and collaborates with local stakeholders to discover what they want and need in their environment. She is excited to work with the strong coalition of environmental community organizers in Memphis, and hopes to build a similarly strong coalition in Nashville and across the state.

“I work for SELC because the people and landscape of the southeast are worth protecting,” Sami said. “I really enjoy meeting with members of the communities we fight so hard to protect. Because of SELC’s local presence, we get the opportunity to have face-to-face interaction much more readily.”

Sami grew up in Bensenville, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, and now lives on the east side of Nashville. A special place for her is Deepdene Park in Atlanta, which she discovered while at Emory School of Law. “I fell in love with it,” she said. “I’m something of a city girl, but I really loved the ability to step away from it all. I love that it’s so close to downtown Atlanta but I can find a bubbling brook and see hawks.”

Previous experience

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, engineering trainee
• J.D., Emory University School of Law, cum laude; Turner Environmental Clinic; Emory Law Journal, executive symposium editor
• B.S., University of Cincinnati, with honors