Posted on March 16, 2026
When Lisa Clay graduated law school in 1987, she never imagined she would be practicing environmental law, let alone be awarded with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Environmental Quality Award nearly 40 years later.
After initially planning to work in consumer advocacy or with people who cannot afford representation, Clay is now the Deputy District Counsel (Regulatory & Operations Divisions) and Senior Environmental Law Attorney for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District. She has been an attorney here since she graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School.
“So, really environmental law didn’t bring me to [USACE],” she said. “It’s [USACE] that brought me to environmental law.”
The Environmental Quality Award is part of the USACE Environmental Awards Program, an enterprise-wide program recognizing significant environmental contributions being made by USACE professionals.
“As lawyers, we help support and facilitate the work that the technical folks are doing,” she said. “So, to have the technical folks recognize that support is just overwhelming. I’m grateful for it.”
At the start of her career, Clay spent her time working on contracting processes and the Freedom of Information Act. But it was only a matter of time before an opportunity to practice environmental law arose.
Having not sought out environmental law classes during law school, Clay hit the books again, reading and studying case law and doing research on environmental policies and regulations.
For Clay, this was the point of no return.
“Once I started learning about [environmental law], I really enjoyed doing the work,” Clay said. “And so that’s what I’ve been doing for the bulk of my time in the Corps.”
On a day-to-day basis, Clay reviews documents such as environmental impact statements or environmental assessments and helps project teams follow the regulations and navigate any changes in policies.
She often works closely with the Regulatory Division, other technical teams outside of the legal field, and some teams outside of USACE, such as partner agencies at the state and local levels.
“One of the greatest things I’ve experienced is developing my love for being a team player and working on different kinds of teams with different kinds of people, different personalities, and different technical specialties,” Clay said. “It’s one of the many benefits of working for the Corps [of Engineers].”
Over the last five years, Clay has shared her experience and expertise through teaching. She is one of the cadre of instructors who teaches foundational classes like “Environmental Laws and Regulations” and “Regulatory 3,” which gives an overview on how to enforce the Regulatory Program.
The professionals in these courses have an opportunity to learn from Clay and work with one another while trying to understand policies and regulations and where those rules may or may not apply in their respective fields.
“You can read a regulation, but the letter of the regulation doesn’t always help you understand how the rule would apply in a real-world context because things aren’t always black and white,” she said. “It’s all shades of gray.”
Clay continues to be a go-to for her fellow attorneys and colleagues to check for any new guidance, regulation, or policy and how they should apply it in their work.
While Clay was surprised upon the notification of her selection, her passion for environmental law and her willingness to share her knowledge and wisdom with those who seek her guidance clearly show why she was nominated for the Environmental Quality Award.
“These are the people I advise, who are nominating me for an award and presenting it to me,” she said. “There’s something more meaningful about having it come from the client organizations who recognize your efforts and input and support to their work over the years.”
When asked who inspires her in her work, she said she is constantly inspired by the people delivering the Regulatory Program due to their resilience and flexibility when policies and regulations can change quickly.
As for her motivations, Clay has constantly been driven by the USACE missions and the opportunity to serve others.
“We’re doing projects that are immediately beneficial and helpful to the communities that we all live in,” she said. “So that’s the thing that motivates me to keep working for [USACE].”
